I really like the way... Angola Scrimmage

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Recap

A scrimmage is really just practice matches against another team. As a player, it's an odd format. You play for time instead of final score, you play multiple different positions, and against a variety of opponents. It provides it's own challenges. But honestly, I love any challenge!

As a coach, it's an opportunity to learn, to compare, to adjust. The scrimmage against the Angola Hornets gives us those opportunities, so I really liked the way the weather held and gave us a gorgeous night to play this previously canceled scrimmage.

In the scrimmage, there are three 30 minute segments. I didn't really like the way we started the first segment as a team. We seemed to be overthinking, nervous, and therefore not moving very well. It seemed like we weren't very into the matches, but I realize that was just first competition nerves getting the best of us. Toward the end of the segment, we started to see real signs of life, fire, and better strokes. It's a good reminder to us that the warmup is the time to get bouncy and focused, and feel our shots landing in the court. 

The first segment didn't have a ton of great scores to show, with Noah taking home our only lead for the team in that round. But the good news is that we were able to work out some kinks and move on. The other good news was that we now knew what kind of team Angola was... a really good team. They hit the ball hard and had big serves. It was a great way to test our talent.

And so we responded in the second segment, and I really liked the way we settled into our game. We got a couple more ties on the JV level, with Preston and Eli bringing home the first win for the JV! That was exciting. Isaya played a really solid singles match and many of those JV matches saw players with less experience getting in some tight matches. Tight matches allow us to grow in confidence, as we learn to stay loose and stay on our toes. In this second segment, I really liked the way we stayed bouncy.

The varsity had a pretty good segment as well, especially the singles. Noah, Gideon and Judah really played their respective styles well in this segment, trusting their shots and their movement. The doubles was still a struggle (but Angola has very good, experienced teams there!)

Finally, in the final segment of the night, we continued to see improved levels of play. As we grew more comfortable in the matches, we began to encourage each other more. I really liked the way I heard "Let's go, Eli!" and "Let's go, Keagan!" and more phrases like that ring out across the courts. The JV only lost one match in this third segment, so they were gaining experience quickly. 

At the varsity, Angola substituted some doubles, but it allowed us to find a foothold. Both doubles teams found a lot more of the tennis they were looking for. They played with passion too, which I really liked the way they celebrated together. Singles continued to play tight matches with the Angola players who all return to the singles lineup after playing in those positions last year. These would be fun matches to see play out across 3 sets.

And then, it was off to Pizza King, the annual tradition. We gathered in front of the big sign at the end, and I just loved the way we had fun. If we keep up the Pizza King attitude even as we play, we're going to have a positive and electric season. Can't wait to see it!

I really like the way...

This will be a segment of each match report where I'll highlight amazing things - points, efforts, encouragements from the match.

- I really like the way Noah trusted

In both the 1st and 3rd segment for Noah, he started off in real tight battles. The Angola players were really solid players, with fast serves and hard groundstrokes. They attacked and looked for weaknesses. And the games were close, and so were the overall scores. But Noah trusted his game and was patient. He didn't panic when he lost a point or two. Instead, he continued to put the pressure of repetition to his opponents. And it worked, as he pulled ahead in the late stages of each segment. The patient power of repetition is such a weapon!

- I really like the way Judah tried to find energy

Judah entered his match against Angola against a senior who played #1 singles all of last season. Not surprisingly, the Hornet player got off to a quick lead. Judah had rarely seen a serve like this, or a forehand that simply finished points. But what was impressive was after upholding through the barrage, Judah found moments to enjoy and be electric. As he found a couple of aces and a couple of winners, there were encouraging shouts of "Vamos!" coming from him. In fact, it helped him turn around a second set in that first segment, leading that second set 2-1 when time was called. 

- I really like the way Preston and Eli show enthusiasm

As Preston and Eli joined us this summer, both came in to tennis without a lot of experience. In fact, both had not really played a match against another team until this match. And together as a pair, they came away with 2 segment wins. But what I loved was their joy in that. They were thrilled to have gotten the wins, and couldn't contain their smiles and encouragement. Loved the way it just shined off of them!

- I really like the way Dominic and Ethan stay energized until the end

If I didn't say this before, Angola's doubles teams were powerful and talented. In the first couple of segments, our teams had to be very on point to stick with them. In many ways, this could wear many a player down. As we got into the third segment, it could have been easy for our doubles players to just throw their hands up and quit. But Ethan and Dominic did not. All night, they played positive and electric. All night, they picked each other up. And it was important to see that. That type of "I-love-the-challenge" attitude can be infectious for the whole team!

- I really like the way the pizza tastes at Pizza King :-)

Yes, my Hawaiian pizza with BBQ sauce and breadsticks dipped in cheese were delicious. But the chatter and the laughter were even better.

Prayer

God, we played this match at the end of a long week. Long practices last week, school starting, a long drive before and after the match. And yet, it was so much fun to get to watch us compete against another team and support our teammates as we did. I am grateful for the evening. I pray that as we start out this season, we turn towards You and toward others. In keeping with the theme, I really like the way You support and provide for us. Help us trust You.

Amen.

Scores

Varsity Segment #1

#1S - Noah Schrock - 5-2 

#2S - Gideon Miller - 2-5

#3S - Judah Miller - 0-6, 2-1

#1D - Emerson Landis/Keagan Meyer - 0-5
#2D - Dominic Ramer/Ethan Claassen - 3-3

Varsity Segment #2

#1S - Noah Schrock - 5-0

#2S - Gideon Miller - 4-2

#3S - Judah Miller - 3-5

#1D - Ethan Claassen/Silas Martin - 0-6, 0-3
#2D - Emerson Landis/Keagan Meyer - 1-6

Varsity Segment #3

#1S - Noah Schrock - 5-2 

#2S - Gideon Miller - 2-4

#3S - Judah Miller - 2-5

#1D - Dominic Ramer/Ethan Claassen - 4-3
#2D - Emerson Landis/Keagan Meyer - 3-4

JV Segment #1

#1SJV - Malachi Yoder - 2-6

#2SJV - Lucas Bateman - 2-4

#1DJV - Silas Martin/Aaron Hochstetler - 1-3
#2DJV - Ender Finnigan/Josiah Aguilar Clark - 0-4

#3DJV - Isaya Magatti/Eli Steiner - 2-2

JV Segment #2

#1SJV - Dominic Ramer - 3-5

#2SJV - Isaya Magatti - 3-3

#1DJV - Malachi Yoder/Lucas Bateman - 1-5
#2DJV - Aaron Hochstetler/Ender Finnigan - 2-2

#3DJV - Preston Miller/Eli Steiner - 6-1

JV Segment #3

#1SJV - Malachi Yoder - 2-2

#2SJV - Aaron Hochstetler - 2-2

#1DJV - Silas Martin/Ender Finnigan - 1-5
#2DJV - Isaya Magatti/Lucas Bateman - 3-3

#3DJV - Preston Miller/Eli Steiner - 4-3