Growing in Wisdom - Blackhawk Christian Match

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Varsity Recap
Once again, senior night proved to be a really fun night! We started out with senior speeches about Dom and Gid, about how much we appreciate them. Then we headed out to the courts to take on Blackhawk.

And starting with our seniors, it was a great night of tennis. Gideon did a great job of serving tonight, and then backed it up by finding a game of consistency and control. He seemed to balance things out well tonight between having consistent rallies and finding the ball to step in on.

Dom and Aaron continue to really impress with great tennis. Once again, they controlled the net. Once again, they played with great attitude and belief. Once again, they were able to force their opponents into difficult positions. They got the win, so both seniors won on their senior night.

But we needed one more spot for the team victory on the night. And actually, the first match off the court was Judah. He had to figure some things out in his first set, especially returning a big lefty serve. But once he got that figured out, he really began to relax and roll.

Ethan got us a fourth victory on the night. He too started slowly and had to figure things out, but then rolled. Ethan used good positioning and aggressive shots to simple spots to put his opponent in difficult spots.

The only position dropped was #1D, but we saw a lot of growth there as well. Malachi and Isaya struggled with consistency against Blackhawk's athletic sophomores in the first set. Once they found consistency, they needed a bit of strategy. They enjoyed really joyful tennis in the second set where they controlled the net, but couldn't quite turn the match on its head.

JV Recap

A 4-1 victory for the varsity flowed right into a great JV night. Elias got things started with an awesome shutout at #1SJV. When Elias is confident and moving lightly on his feet, he is a tough opponent for any singles player. He played with great confidence tonight in his match.

At #1DJV, Silas and Lucas continue to build on their strengths. In this match, Silas served very well and Lucas continue to pressure net players with his forehands. Especially when Lucas and Silas drove their shots through the middle of the court, they present problems to all their opponents. They won 8-3 giving us victories at both #1 positions.

At the #2 positions, matches were tighter. Both Jordan and Josiah and Ender fell behind early in their matches. Then Josiah and Ender put on a run of great tennis, they went from behind 4-3 to leading 7-4. This run was marked by great positivity, not letting poor shots bother them. They finished off the match with some solid play and the Bruins led 3-0.

Jordan hit the ball beautifully, but couldn't find the combinations to finish out enough games. But he showed enough flashes of brilliance to let us know he'll continue to improve.

The other JV guys challenged each other in matches. There was an intense match between Sam and Ayden, both challenging each other's skills. Eli and Ethan played some singles, and showed off their hustle and improving touch and skill. The JV players are improving by leaps and bounds throughout the season, and I'm still convinced we have a very good team. It was a 3-1 win tonight, a lot of good to celebrate!

And then we celebrated the seniors, eating cake and ice cream and hanging out. I love this team.

Let's go Bruins!

WE CAN BE HUMBLE, BECAUSE WE BELONG: Moments of Belonging

Play

Ping pong. Volleyball. Ginormous hot dogs. A whole sheet of cake. Hanging out an hour and a half after the match ends. I love that we love to be together. It was a night of laughter and fun celebrating our seniors, and I'm glad we could do it. You can read more about our seniors here -

Dom Ramer

Gideon Miller

 

WHEN WE ARE WISE: Wisdom is Playing the Percentages

Our Strengths are Becoming Routine

One way to focus on playing your best tennis in a match is to try to do the things that you do well repeatedly. We're really starting to do this. Judah's using his variety, Gideon is using drop shots and passing shots regularly, Dom and Aaron are dominating the net. Elias is outlasting his opponents in rallies. Lucas and Silas are attacking the other net players. Ethan is rallying with deep topspin. Malachi and Isaya have great putaways at the net. These skills and many more are becoming routine, things we can count on in our tennis. Now we need to build the rest of our games around that.

Just Re-quoting Arthur Ashe

"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."

THEN WE ARE STRONG: Exceptional Outcomes

Favorite Point of the Season

I love points where we scramble then get back in control. Tonight, we had a point where we got lobbed over and Malachi ran it down. Then the ball came back to him and he hit another groundstroke. Then it was hit mid-court to Isaya and he swung but couldn't pick it up from his feet - but Malachi was behind him to hit back. Isaya then centered himself on the net, and put away the comeback shot. Isaya picked himself up mid-point to stay focused for the putaway. Great! 

Jordan's Dropper

Jordan was hitting the ball beautifully but not finding ways to finish points. Later in the match he started approaching the net, and that's when he hit the most awesome backhand drop shot. Jammed a bit by a passing shot, he quick pulled his racket across his body with the most delicate touch. The ball slid over the net and had wicked side spin because of the angle that Jordan had to hit it at. His opponent had no chance!

Ethan's One Hand Backhand

On the JV, Ethan has been working on a backhand slice. When he has to stretch or come forward, he's been using this shot to get shots back into the court. Tonight, he got a ball his wide to his backhand and reached out with the slice. It dropped cross court for an almost perfect winner. He couldn't have placed the ball in a better spot. It's great to see him get winners as he continues to grow and improve! 

Prayer

God, I am so grateful for our two seniors. I have watched with pride as they've gone through high school, stepped into leadership positions, worked hard and listened well to their teammates. May Your blessings be well received by them. For the rest of us as well, may we mature in our ability to see how You delight in helping us in trouble. Thanks for all you do! Amen. 

Scores

Varsity
#1S - Gideon Miller - 6-3, 6-0 - Marshall Treesh (9)

#2S - Ethan Claassen - 7-5, 6-0 - John Dykstra (10)

#3D - Elias Magatti - 6-2, 6-0 - Grayson Nigg (12)

#1D - Isaya Magatti/Silas Martin - 1-6, 3-6 - Drake Sefton (10)/Quinton Richard (10)

#2D - Dominic Ramer/Aaron Hochstetler - 6-2, 6-3 - Duke Faupel (10)/Ryan Dykstra (10)

Junior Varsity

#1SJV - Elias Magatti - 8-0 - Ram Zehr (10)

#2SJV - Jordan Hochstedler - 4-8 - JD Tilma (11)

#1DJV - Silas Martin/Lucas Bateman - 8-3 - Jonny Scheumann (12)/Austin Greenwalt (10)

#2DJV - Ender Finnigan/Josiah Aguilar Clark - 8-6 - Warren Tobo (11)/Isaac Tilma (9)