I really like the way... NorthWood

Video 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bethany Christian Tennis (@bcbruintennis)

Varsity Recap
Lined up and ready to go for our 3rd of 6 matches this week, the Bruins took the courts with energy. I really like the way the Bruins tend to start matches. We play confident and with movement. 

The varsity singles positions won games early in their matches, but at Noah and Judah were both having to win long points to take their games. They kept their cool and patience, methodically trusting the shots they've mastered over a lot of practice and playing. Judah and Noah both use slice and variety very effectively, both in defensive modes and for offense. They also are multi-directional movers, so no type of shot really puts them at too much of a disadvantage. They were able to last through the long rallies and unorthodox shots of their opponents to take early leads.

Gideon's singles match was much different. The points were quick and powerful, but if Gideon could withstand an onslaught early in the point, an error usually ended the point. Gideon did a great job of keeping his confidence and positive energy high. Although he sometimes made errors as well, Gid allowed his opponent's wayward shots to silently pump himself up. He echoed encouragement to his fellow Bruin players. It was a great example how we play great when we're giving energy back to our teammates. It's amazing how that electricity builds. Because of the quick points, speed of shot, and consistency Gid showed, his match went quickly, but Gid gave the Bruins our first team point with a 6-1, 6-1 victory.

Despite the length of the points, Noah and Judah were just behind in finishing off their matches. They each won in two sets, and just like that, the Bruins had the 3 positions and had won the team match. There was some tension at the end, as Judah once again was in a position to provide the winning team point. He felt a little stress as his opponent picked up the consistency, but Judah battled back and calmed himself extremely well. I really liked the way he maintained composure.

Still on court, the varsity doubles positions were fighting it out to take their spots as well. Keagan and Emerson were attacking and fighting inconsistency, both their own and their opponents. It was a game of big shots, each player cracking away at their forehands. But it was also a game that provided a lot of errors. I loved the way that #1D was digging in for their service games. Keagan and Emerson were serving in a lot of ways that hampered their opponents clean returning. It was a close doubles match.

Meanwhile, Dominic and Ethan were trying all sorts of things to draw errors out of their opponents. They were switching formations, moving well together. But the first set was also full of their own inconsistency, and likely nerves that caused them to get a little tentative and be a little still.

Both dubs lost the first set, but mounted comebacks in the second. It is the most exciting thing in tennis when doubles team are making comebacks, celebrating together and being electric. I really liked the way we dug in, put the first sets behind us and played great tennis. Keagan and Emerson teetered on the edge of tying things up in the middle of the second set, and Dominic and Ethan took the first game to show that they were not going to fade. Playing a close match brought back some of the errors, but we kept moving and swinging.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, and both doubles team lost in long two set matches. All around though, another great 3-2 victory for the varsity Bruins!

JV Recap

In the JV match, I continue to be so proud of our progress!

The JV was missing two players from its lineup, so people got switched around. Eli Steiner moved into a singles spot. Ender and Preston got to play some doubles together. It was a night to try some new things.

One player who has had memorable matches all year in his singles spot is Isaya. Tonight, he trailed 4-7 in his #1SJV match. Never putting his head down, he heard Daniel's advice - just keep the ball in the court at all costs. He put that into practice, and came all the way back, winning five games in a row to take a victory. It was an epic, remarkable victory that was the first of two for him on the night.

Other victories followed on the night, including Lucas Bateman grabbing a second singles win for the week. Lucas had a difficult first match, where many things didn't quite turn his way. In the second match, he was in a tight battle, but then created separation at the end with really confident serves and forehand strokes. 

Malachi and Silas got two wins, as they played solid doubles across three matches. I love watching Silas hit great serves and Malachi putting the ball away at the net. I love Malachi sliding forehands just over the net and then Silas pouncing on them. I like watching all of these things, and they were especially tuned in for their last two matches.

And Eli Steiner got his first win of the season as a singles player! Again, after a difficult first match, Eli learned some things from Coach Daniel about hitting balls that he had to run forward towards. He put that advice into practice in the second match, and drew many errors. Eli's forehand has improved so much, and it was really proving to be a weapon in this match.

We dropped some matches as well, but the theme of the night was how coachable the Bruins were. All of the matches incorporated the strategies that the coaches gave to them, and a lot of times it worked! The final score was tied, but these continued building blocks of improvement made it feel like a win!

Let's go Bruins!

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 the guys sprinted down to celebrate Eli's first win with him

Every player on this team is important. They are all great people to be around and have made the season so fun. Eli is no exception. From camp to practice, he fills the courts with positivity and laughter. But he hadn't won a match yet during the contest season. When the varsity had finished their match, they were watching some of the JV doubles and gathered around the water cooler on a hot night. But then they heard that Eli might have a chance to get a victory. Together, they hopped on down to Eli's court - to encourage, cheer and give him high fives as he achieved a victory and showed how much he keeps improving.

- I really like the way our doubles played with POSITIVITY

This was a really solid match for our doubles teams. They didn't necessarily grab wins, but they definitely were close. Each match, we have to attack our doubles with confidence. I liked the way Malachi and Silas played tonight. I liked the way Ender attacked at the net. I liked the way Preston served and is learning anticipation. I liked how our doubles teams, despite playing 3 times, got right back out there to compete. I liked how our doubles came with energy in each second set. I liked the way we turned to each other. I liked the way we tried new things. All of this requires hope and positivity. I really liked that tonight.

- I really like the way Judah recollected himself

I mentioned this in the varsity review, but Judah definitely began to feel a little tight at the end of his match. Judah had been telling himself a (false) story that he wasn't playing well. And it's hard to get past our own minds sometime. But in the last game, Judah fought and got the game to deuce. Before the deuce point, he took several big deep breaths. I don't know if he gave himself a positive message too, but whatever he did, it worked. He went back to playing calm and collected tennis, and won the last two points easily. As a team, this deep breath and recovery of confidence is a skill we all need to master! Many of us have done it well at times, and Judah did it well in this match.

- I really like the way Lucas learned quickly

In Lucas's second match, his opponent had a big forehand. His opponent would use that stroke to attack Lucas, and Lucas was often being drawn way off the court and finding himself stretching for balls that were hard to reach. Early in the match, he was missing these shots wide. Daniel and I talked, and made sure to let him know that on those retrieval shots, you just want to land them back in the center of the court. When he went out for the next game, he was leading 6-5. He was immediately faced with two of those shots, and he stretched and softly plopped them back in the middle of the court. He went on to win each of those points and to take the game, giving himself a 7-5 lead. I really liked the way he took what he learned and put it into practice.

Prayer

God, we could not ask for a much more beautiful evening than we had tonight to play tennis. You have really been blessing northern Indiana with cool and dry evenings, beautiful sunsets and more. Thanks for that. You are a God of creation and beauty, and I love the way that comes through in our tennis as well. Thanks for moments that are enjoyable - please lead us into these moments with a recognition of Your wonder. Thanks!

Amen.

Scores

Varsity

#1S - Noah Schrock - 6-1, 6-1 - Brennan Chilling (12)

#2S - Gideon Miller - 6-1, 6-1 - Easton Feenstra (12)

#3S - Judah Miller - 6-2, 6-3 - Ezra Cook (12)

#1D - Emerson Landis/Keagan Meyer - 3-6, 3-6 - Ty Stankovich (12)/Ryker Cisney (12)
#2D - Dominic Ramer/Ethan Claassen - 2-6, 4-6 - Logan Marker (12)/Riley Barhydt (11)

Junior Varsity

#1SJV - Isaya Magatti - 9-7 - Nolan Tompos (10)

#2SJV - Lucas Bateman - 0-8 - Ethan Tompos (10)

#3SJV - Eli Steiner - 1-8 - Eli Heckaman (10)

#4SJV - Isaya Magatti - 8-0 - Colton Ewers (9)

#5SJV - Lucas Bateman - 8-5 - Bryce Weaver (12)

#6SJV - Eli Steiner - 8-5 - Brinqley Parvu-Timmer (9)

#1DJV - Malachi Yoder/Silas Martin - 3-6 - Cody Bryan (11)/Aiden Boggs (11)

#2DJV - Malachi Yoder/Silas Martin - 6-3 - Jack Johnson (9)/Aiden McEndarfer (10)

#3DJV - Malachi Yoder/Silas Martin - 6-0 - Tyler Moyer (10)/Drew Patterson (10)

#4DJV - Ender Finnigan/Preston Miller - 0-6 - Landon McDonald (11)/Mavox Tompos (11)

#5DJV - Ender Finnigan/Preston Miller - 1-6 - Nerick Sanchez (10)/Jackson Kemp (9)

#6DJV - Ender Finnigan/Preston Miller - 0-6 - Sawyer Love (9)/Sebastain Chapman (10)