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Varsity Recap
It was another gorgeous evening for tennis, and the Bruins took advantage. Playing against a good Blackhawk team who has hopes of hoisting a Sectional trophy themselves, the Bruin singles players played some great tennis - some of the best of the season. Gideon was strong and dependable, finding some ridiculous forehands when under pressure. His serve really kicked into gear in this match, and his energy and footwork have really returned as he's mostly recovered from his injury now. The small change in his mobility was so evident, as he just has more simple power from being in better positions. This was one of his best matches this season.
And Noah was dominant, having a perfect mix of patience and strength to handle the victory. In this match, Noah was really all over the attacking shots. He would wait the point out until the perfect moment to drive a low slicing ball for an attacking winner, or crack a low ground stroke across the court. He was forcing a lot of short balls and finding himself able to attack. He picked up a third straight 6-0, 6-0 victory in the match.
Judah was solid, moving and striking lobs and passing shots with precision. His opponent was a fellow 9th grader. He was tall and athletic, an attacking player. He had a strong serve. Judah dealt with all of these weapons admirably, really picking his spots and playing with confidence. Judah picked up the third win of the evening for the Bruins, securing the team match.
At doubles, Emerson and Keagan played well, giving up a few too many errors but also coming up against one of the strongest #1D teams they've faced this season. Despite striking their shots well, they'd often find their opponents had quick stab volleys to get them back. I actually thought that we played a great match, but the score didn't reflect that at all. I have to give credit to the Blackhawk team for that, we brought it and they just played great.
At doubles, Emerson and Keagan played well, giving up a few too many errors but also coming up against one of the strongest #1D teams they've faced this season. Despite striking their shots well, they'd often find their opponents had quick stab volleys to get them back. I actually thought that we played a great match, but the score didn't reflect that at all. I have to give credit to the Blackhawk team for that, we brought it and they just played great.
#2D found themselves right in it during a very competitive match. In the first set, they played great, moving and not worrying about the score. They led early in the match, but their opponents turned up the precision, and despite an opportunity to take the set towards a tiebreak, they fell away. Then they got behind in second as well. Some moments of great play followed, but they were in a bit too big of a hole to dig back out.
That great effort ended the varsity evening. Overall, it was a nice 3-2 win for the varsity Bruins. We continue to grow and learn, and we're moving toward playing our best tennis of the season!
Prayer
God, I am always grateful for the times we get together. Thanks for providing a wonderful gift, memories that we will hold onto. Whether that is ice cream, singing, or playing tennis, all the memories made together are a blessing. Help us be a blessing to others as well!
JV Recap
At the JV, we faced a crew of young 9th graders. Blackhawk played 5 singles positions, something different than we've been used to. So lots of our team got experience at singles tonight. Singles requires patience and continued movement, and a lot of consistency. We hung in early in matches, playing close games and keeping the scorecard close on every changeover. But things just seemed to slide away the further along the match went.
At the JV, we faced a crew of young 9th graders. Blackhawk played 5 singles positions, something different than we've been used to. So lots of our team got experience at singles tonight. Singles requires patience and continued movement, and a lot of consistency. We hung in early in matches, playing close games and keeping the scorecard close on every changeover. But things just seemed to slide away the further along the match went.
We have to remember that one game can change the momentum, and then tell ourselves that we can do that. We can get one shot, one point, one game. I'm proud of these lessons we continue to learn. When we play singles matches, moving is probably the most important thing - doing anything possible to just get the next ball in. Often times, it was shots that got into awkward positions that made us make errors in this match.
The brightest note was Malachi and Silas, who continued a tear of wins, slamming down overheads and generally being great movers. They won 8-0 for the Bruins only JV win.
The brightest note was Malachi and Silas, who continued a tear of wins, slamming down overheads and generally being great movers. They won 8-0 for the Bruins only JV win.
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 we built our games emotionally
Tonight, we kept ourselves from getting too emotionally high or too emotionally low. I liked the quiet confidence that we had. We continued to echo, but it wasn't over the top. It wasn't desperate. It was confident. Sometimes, it can feel like we're screaming when we win a point because we're so desperate to win another, so afraid that we won't. But tonight's emotional level felt full of belief, especially amongst the varsity. I like the way we built that confidence tonight.
- I really like the way we continue seek improvement
It's actually pretty late in the season. We've only got a week after this. But I love how many of our players are committed to figuring out how they can make it the best end to the year possible. Isaya is asking questions. Malachi and Silas have been great listeners. Practice and warmup have been filled with requests from players... Can we work on quick, reflex volleys? Can you watch my serve? Can you toss some ball to my backhand? It's awesome to see us keep such a positive culture of growth!
- I really like the way we sang together
The bus ride back was one of my favorite ever. The seniors began to remember a bus ride they'd taken with Daniel during their 9th grade year, where they had sung together on the way back. So they pulled out a phone and started some karaoke on the bus. The whole hour long bus ride back from our ice cream stop, the team joined in singing everything from Frank Sinatra to 90's boy bands to current songs. It just made me happy!
God, I am always grateful for the times we get together. Thanks for providing a wonderful gift, memories that we will hold onto. Whether that is ice cream, singing, or playing tennis, all the memories made together are a blessing. Help us be a blessing to others as well!
Amen.
Scores
Varsity
#1S - Noah Schrock - 6-0, 6-0 - Caleb York (12)
#2S - Gideon Miller - 6-1, 6-0 - Conner Treesh (12)
#3S - Judah Miller - 6-0, 6-1 - Drake Sefton (9)
#1D - Emerson Landis/Keagan Meyer - 0-6, 0-6 - Bryce Sefton (12)/Luke Mansfield (12)
#2D - Dominic Ramer/Ethan Claassen - 4-6, 1-6 - Sam Donnelly (12)/Owen Saliek (12)
#2D - Dominic Ramer/Ethan Claassen - 4-6, 1-6 - Sam Donnelly (12)/Owen Saliek (12)
Junior Varsity
#1SJV - Isaya Magatti - 4-8 - Quintin Richard (9)
#2SJV - Lucas Bateman - 3-8 - Duke Faupel (9)
#3SJV - Aaron Hochstetler - 1-8 - John Dykstra (9)
#4SJV - Ender Finnigan - 0-8 - Ryan Dykstra (9)
#5SJV - Eli Steiner - 1-8 - JD Tilma (10)
#1DJV - Malachi Yoder/Silas Martin - 8-0 - Adam Albrecht (11)/Grayson Nigg (11)
#2DJV - Preston Miller/Josiah Aguilar Clark - 1-8 - Rem Zehr (9)/Austin Greenwalt (9)
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