Growing in Wisdom - NorthWood Match

 Video

Varsity Recap
Tonight, a really routine win got turned into a team experience. One that many of the players will remember. I love these types of nights, where players learn things about themselves and their teammates cheer them on.

It started off as rather routine. All three of the singles positions played well, and took early leads. There was some close calls, especially at #2S where Judah's opponent was really playing a smart, low error tennis game. Judah had a slim lead, but continued to focus on being quick and high percentage tennis and was able to pull away, winning 9 of the matches last 10 games.

Gideon served well and played with margin for error. Despite having strong groundstrokes and power, his game operates best when he plays with good setup tennis. Ethan moved through his match the quickest, with his solid baseline game inducing errors from the Panther opponent.

#1D was also fairly straightforward. Playing a talented Panther squad that was serving well and hitting passing shots well, the Bruins didn't seem to find their best tennis. There were stretches of play where we'd string things together, but it usually got us to deuce or advantages that we couldn't quite turn into games. That's certainly the next step for one doubles.

But that was a similar step that our #2D have been needing to make as well. We've often held leads in matches, but not finished the game or the set. Tonight, that was the story of the first set with Dom and Aaron. They held a 4-3 lead, but then saw the first set go the Panther way.

In the second set, Dom and Aaron began to play with more aggression. We developed some new focus points - either play offense or play defense. No in-between shots when we play doubles. This led them to some awesome points. And took the match to a third set.

The Panthers came out as the much more aggressive team in the second set. We were again hanging shots in the middle of the net for them to smash away. NorthWood went ahead 3-0 and then 5-2, serving for the match. In two nervy games, the Bruins broke serve and then held. Now at 5-4, Aaron and Dom just started playing the best tennis I've seen from them. Passing shots, lobs and overheads. Dom controlled the net. And in the end, Aaron finished off the match with a killer aggressive forehand. They'd won 5 straight games to take the match.

It was an exciting night for them as a doubles pair. It's always good to overcome things that are holding you back, and the Bruins did. We celebrated with them, because learning you can play under pressure is a big deal!

So, it was a 4-1 victory for the varsity Bruins.

JV Recap

On the JV side, there were more awesome matches. Elias got us started off with continued dominance. He racked up another quick win with a 8-1 scoreline. #1D also played a great match, getting started better this time and then really hitting the heights as the match went on. Lucas was on fire with forehands tonight, Silas at the net, and it was an 8-4 victory.

The other singles spots didn't go as well. Jordan and Ayden couldn't quite find the consistency or the power to get past their opponents, but they learned things about how to use their strengths. Jordan really did well near the end of his match thinking about the idea of being in control of the point, while Ayden learned to use his rally strengths. Ethan also had a great match, where his opponent really served well to make a difference but Ethan had many great moments of passings shots and returns.

At other doubles positions, we trailed early. Josiah and Ender went down 1-6 in their match. Then solid and focused play led them all the way back, from 1-6 to 6-7. They couldn't quite climb over the hump, but the comeback was awesome nonetheless. Eli and Sam also had to climb back into their match. With quick feet and a focused effort, the #3DJV squad came from 1-4 down to take the win, 8-6, with great quick net play and topspun returns.

Again, the team celebrated, as it was good to see our teammates learn and grow. The JV lost 3-4, but really improved on the night.

And so did the whole team, and that's really a huge part of what we are doing...

Let's go Bruins!

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

Cheerleader Award

On a night where we had such an exciting ending, lots of Bruins were making sure that our teammates knew we were proud of them. Many Bruins gathered to watch the last couple of matches on court, especially Dom and Aaron as they clawed back into their third set. But Isaya really did a great job of making his way up and down the courts and cheering everyone on. He was cheering for Ender and Josiah as they made their way back, echoing #2D from a couple of courts down, being excited in his own match. At the end of the evening, we celebrated Isaya by offering our inaugural "Cheerleader Award," a tradition that Coach Daniel had used with the girls team in the spring. I love the idea of honoring the person who is encouraging while we all play! Congrats to Isaya.

 

WHEN WE ARE WISE: Wisdom is Playing the Percentages

Never Give Up

During my high school career, I saw a quote that said something like, "I believe I can win even if I'm down 0-6, 0-5, love-40. There's still a chance, and I'm going to go for it." I tried to look up who said that, and Google AI couldn't help me :-) But I still love the quote because it encapsulates what I love about tennis. There's always a chance to turn it around. Dom and Aaron, Ender and Josiah, Eli and Sam, even Jordan to a good extent... they all got to see this tonight. Time never runs out, you just keep trying to play tennis the way you can and things might turn for you.

Simple Volleys

This is short and sweet. At all the doubles tonight, I saw our players use the simple volley through the middle of the court to win a lot of points. Love the volley that splits the doubles opponents for the win!

Speaking of Famous Quotes...

On the outside of the largest tennis stadium in the world is a quote by the stadium's namesake, former tennis player Arthur Ashe. The quote says...

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

I love it. It is the very mindset that I love for us to have when playing tennis. There's no excuses in that quote, it's all about figuring out what we can do. That's the attitude I felt from the whole team tonight. What can I do to try to figure this out. No reason to despair. In so many matches, we just started where we were, we brought whatever we could. I loved that wisdom.

THEN WE ARE STRONG: Exceptional Outcomes

Defense to Offense

When we stick with it, we can often be rewarded. In the #1DJV match, Lucas was stretched way out wide to return a serve to his forehand. He popped the big serve back into the court, just to the side of a Panther net player. The Panther doubles player reached down to scoop it, but fed it right to Silas for a putaway overhead. Lucas's hustle had led directly to Silas's slam. Great teamwork and a great example of putting the ball back in the court and letting something good happen!

Rally Tolerance

At #3DJV, Eli and Sam had a point that just ratcheted up the tension. First, Sam hit a serve in, and then a forehand crosscourt. Eli cut off the next ball with a simple volley through the middle. The Panthers lifted a simple ball to Sam, who crushed another topspin forehand crosscourt. It came back, and Sam hit another one. This one was deep in the court and got at the feet of his opponent and won the Bruins the point. We didn't do anything amazing or complicated, we just play the right balls with the right aggression.

Under Pressure

At the end of the third set, Dom and Aaron were tied 5-5 on Dom's serve. It was 30-30. Dom proceeded to hit the serve in, then thump a forehand on the outside doubles line. Then he got a backhand which he ripped through the middle of the court, landing it deep and forcing a backhand from the opponent's back player. The Panther player missed the shot, and we had a chance to take the lead (which we ended up doing). Dom swung with such confidence in these shots, it exuded out of him. I loved that, and I think it helped loosen up Aaron to be aggressive under pressure in the final game, when he slammed the match point forehand through the middle of the court earning a volley error. Confidence grows confidence. Love to see it! 

Awards

Cheerleader: Isaya

Hustle Award: Ender and Josiah

Dig Deep Award: Dom and Aaron

Prayer

God, tonight was a real night of growth. May it continue. May our attitudes become more like Yours. May we be less about proving ourselves, and more about enjoying the challenges together. Thanks that You delight in navigating this life, this tennis season, this match, this point, this moment with us - even when we fail. Thanks for Your grace. In Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Scores

Varsity
#1S - Gideon Miller - 6-1, 6-0 - Nolan Tompos (11)

#2S - Judah Miller - 6-2, 6-1 - Jack Johnson (10)

#3D - Ethan Claassen - 6-0, 6-0 - Aiden McEndarfer (11)

#1D - Malachi Yoder/Isaya Magatti - 0-6, 2-6 - Eli Heckathorn (11)/Ethan Tompos (11)

#2D - Dominic Ramer/Aaron Hochstetler - 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 - Aiden Boggs (12)/Cody Bryan (12)

Junior Varsity

#1SJV - Elias Magatti - 8-1 - Landon McDonald (12)

#2SJV - Jordan Hochstedler - 5-8 - Carter Rose (9)

#3SJV - Ayden Lehman - 2-8 - Colton Ewers (10)

#4SJV - Ethan Miller - 4-6 - Robbie Yoder (9)

#1DJV - Silas Martin/Lucas Bateman - 8-4 - Sebastian Chapman (11)/Nerick Sanchez (11)

#2DJV - Ender Finnigan/Josiah Aguilar Clark - 6-8 - Jackson Kemp (10)/Sawyer Love (10)

#3DJV - Eli Steiner/Sam Brenneman - 8-6 - Mavox Tompos (12)/Brinqley Parvu-Timmer (10)