The Story - Chapter 10 - Bethany Christian at the Bremen Tennis Invitational

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The Varsity Story 

“The Making of What We Are Made Of"

Throughout the day, the Bruins faced a lot of challenges that will go a long way in determining what kind of team we will be as we deal with adversity. Today, the weather got hot, each position on the team faced tough opposition, our bodies got tired and dehydrated, and we began to feel our emotions for all different reasons. These things will happen, so learning what to do when they do is important.

Starting at the doubles, we had really successful days. But not without being pushed. At #1D, Ethan and Malachi started the day with a good match against Bremen. Malachi and Ethan got off to a good start, mixing things up and hitting good serves. Bremen fought back with some good play of their own, but Malachi and Ethan kept things skillful and simple. 

In their second match with Wawasee, things got more complicated. Wawasee had more firepower - bigger serves and smashed returns on dinky serves. In the first set, Malachi and Ethan tried to meet power with power, and that didn't go so well. In fact, they lost the set 6-0. In the second set, we focused on changing the types of points we were playing. Less power, but more guile, more precision. This more consistent tennis brings out the best, and suddenly the Bruins were flying through the games. We won with a 6-0 set of our own. The third set was a tiebreak played to 10 points, and it was nip and tuck throughout. But the Bruins ended up pulling it out 10-8!

The final match was the one with the least drama, as Malachi and Ethan kept up the good tennis and cruised 6-1, 6-0.

In #2D, Jordan and Lucas had much the same story. Against Bremen, they settled in after making a couple too many errors to open the first set. But as they started moving better and finding their spacing, they began to play really well. They won that first match and moved on to Wawasee.

Against the Warriors, they opened up an early lead with good, smart, attacking doubles play. They were also really hitting overheads well, as Wawasee put up a lot of lobs. After finishing off a close first set, the Warriors doubles dug in more to their defensive tactics. They moved both of their players off the net and to the baseline, daring us to hit through and not make mistakes. The switch up worked for awhile, enough to put us down early in the set. As we started figuring things out, we couldn't quite get back ahead and the match headed to a third set. In the third set, which again was a 10 point tiebreak, the Bruins played with poise. Instead of focusing on what had gone wrong, we did what we do well. We stayed smart and aggressive and won the tiebreak with Jordan serving it out.

Unfortunately, the long match and the many overheads maybe took a toll on Lucas's shoulder. So Isaya came in to the lineup for the final match. He'd been a great support throughout the day, so it was good to have him get some play. The team didn't miss a beat, as Isaya helped us defeat the Eagles from Fremont with a comfortable 6-0, 6-0 score.

Both doubles teams had dealt with adversity well, so then it was on to the singles positions. 

Judah had to deal with another returning All-District player in his first match. The Bremen #1S player had only lost 2-3 matches last year, and was back making an impact in northern Indiana with his athletic and precise tennis. Judah came out firing, but these matches sometimes get him too nervous. He couldn't quite get a handle on his game and make the Lion #1 hit the difficult shots. And so Judah's day started off with a loss.

But he didn't sulk. As the day heated up, Judah did too. His next match was against a Wawasee #1S player who had very similar scores to Judah against common opponents this year. This figured to be a long match, especially with Judah coming off a defeat. But he really locked in to his four dimensional style early in the match, and then just didn't let off the gas pedal. He proceeded to grab a 6-0, 6-0 victory of his own, an awesome response to his earlier nerves.

In the final match, Judah was rolling. He kept up the stellar play and the stellar serving to secure another victory against the Eagles of Fremont. By playing with energy in his last two matches, he also saved himself a lot of court time in the brutal heat of the day, which can always be difficult for singles players.

Elias at #2S had a lot more to deal with in the heat of his day. His first match against Bremen had also provided some frustration. The Lion's had a newly eligible, athletic, tall, aggressive player at #2S. He gave Elias problems on a lot of areas and had Elias questioning his own ability to strike the ball cleanly. After a tough first set, Elias was down on himself and the second set went away pretty quickly.

In the second match, it looked like a match Elias might be able to dictate. His opponent hit a lot of winners, but also made a lot errors. This suited Elias, and he was always just slightly behind in a very close match. In the middle of the match, his opponent got a bloody nose when leading 5-4 in the first set. He took a break to try and get the bleeding stopped, but it just kept going. The break in the play was hard for everyone, but when they finally started again, Elias lost the game and just like that was down a set.

But boy, Elias responded. In the hottest part of the day, when he wasn't feeling well, Elias fought back and grabbed the second set. This forced a tiebreak, and unfortunately Elias fell behind early. He couldn't quite turn it back. But he had already shown great character to force the tiebreak, great ability to find his game in difficult circumstances.

And he had the chance to prove it again in the final match. Feeling a bit under the weather, he decided that he could make it through one more match. But again, he faced an opponent who just seemed so on it and like he was unable to miss. But Elias was stubborn with his game. Trailing 5-4, Elias reeled off 3 straight games to win the first set. Both players were slower in their movement at this point, but Elias did a better job at staying with his footwork and getting to the right positions. He ended up pulling away in the second set, 6-2. And this meant his day ended with a win. And Elias certainly deserved that for the mental work he did in bringing himself back to the challenge after being tired and not always having his best tennis on the day.

Which means all that is left from the day was #3S. And that was maybe the position of the most drama. In the Bremen match, Aaron fell behind 4-1. He was a bit timid and a bit out of position and just missing too many shots. But he was giving himself a chance, returning well, and forcing some errors. We built on that strategy to help him come back, and with a lot of confidence he took a 6-5 lead. Then his opponent forced the tiebreak, and it went back and forth, but eventually went the way of the Lions. Aaron had to start again, blank slate, and build a new set. This time, he got the early lead, but it was erased by some great play and a strategy switch from his opponent. Now Aaron was trailing 6-5, trying to force a second set tiebreak. He fought off multiple match points against him, but finally fell and lost to the Lion #3S.

That was tough, because the match had required a lot of both physical and emotional energy. The points had been long and the match had lasted a long time. Aaron then had to come off the court and find the energy to go take on the Warriors of Wawasee. And this was another brutally close encounter. The Warrior #3S player was an exchange student from Brazil, and played with lots of different strategies. Sometimes an almost dink-like consistency. Sometimes he would swing away and hammer shots to the corners. Sometimes he'd lob. It kept Aaron off balance. And it was getting hot! The match continued and Aaron began to feel sick. We thought about pulling him off but he was so close to the finish line. He stayed on, but gave away the lead. And yet, he dug in. He played long points. He raced up to drop shots. He looked like he was going to puke... but he ended up winning. I was really proud of the effort, but really concerned for the next match.

Aaron was too. In fact, he wasn't really feeling good enough to continue. So, another JV senior, Ayden Lehman got his chance against Fremont. Ayden played excellent, really consistent in long points. Unfortunately, that style was a strength of the Eagle #3 as well. Ayden stepped in valiantly, but lost in two sets.

And so, on the day, the Bruins went 2-1, good enough for second place! And a day where we really learned what type of response we could make. We can focus on the story that is true, noble and good. And that will make us into what will be made of.

Who Can Focus in the Moment?
Moments of Wise Play

Remembering Who We Are

The biggest temptation in a match is to try to outdo your opponent at whatever they are doing. But it's best to remember who you are. Tonight in #1D, Ethan and Malachi quickly remembered what they needed to do. They admitted that they were going a bit too big and for a bit too much. That humility and adaptability is a great moment of focus and wise play.

Who Can Have Peace in the Match?

Moments of Belonging and Encouragement

JV Players Step In

Today was hot and we had some injuries. Into that void stepped our JV players who had thought they were just along for a day as fans. But all three of Isaya, Ayden and Sam were ready and prepared to step in if called upon, and two of them actually got on the court. That was good to see, and I loved watching them compete.

Who Can Have Joy for the Season?
Moments for Celebration

There were so many... all the amazing plays of the day have blurred in my head. Overheads from the doubles, passing shots from Judah, balls slung into the backhand from Aaron, Elias rocketed passing shots off his strong wing, pressure moments and big serves... and it was just so much tennis. It was beautiful!

Awards

Cheerleader: Isaya
Hustle: Ayden
Dig Deep: Both Doubles Teams - Ethan, Malachi, Jordan and Lucas

Over All This is Christ's Love for Us
Moment of Prayer

God, it was a hot day that really took a lot out of us, but we are thankful for the tennis that we got to play. We had to meet challenges. We had to dig deep. We had to trust in ourselves and find the true, good things that could help us bounce back. And that is important. We trust Your Spirit and the work that You are doing in us to help us become better in all facets of life. Glory to You, forever, Lord. Amen.

Scores
Bethany Christian - 2-3 - Bremen
#1S - Judah Miller - 2-6, 0-6 - Chase Devine (12)
#2S - Elias Magatti - 3-6, 1-6 - Bryce Miller (12)
#3S - Aaron Hochstetler - 6-7 (4), 5-7 - Riley Tener (12)
#1D - Ethan Claassen/Malachi Yoder - 6-3, 6-1 - Lincoln Heiter/David Monesmith
#2D - Lucas Bateman/Jordan Hochstedler - 6-3, 6-0 - Nick Stiles/Santiago Gutierrez

Bethany Christian - 4-1 - Wawasee
#1S - Judah Miller - 6-0, 6-0 - Grady Berkeypile
#2S - Elias Magatti - 4-6, 5-7 - Colin Hackleman
#3S - Aaron Hochstetler - 6-4, 7-5 - Ricardo Willemann
#1D - Ethan Claassen/Malachi Yoder - 0-6, 6-0, 10-8 - Jack Shoemaker/Camden Reel
#2D - Lucas Bateman/Jordan Hochstedler - 6-4, 2-6, 10-5 - Kyhan Heisler/Kamden Meerzo

Bethany Christian - 4-1 - Fremont
#1S - Judah Miller - 6-1, 6-0 - Avi Patel
#2S - Elias Magatti - 7-5, 6-2 - Ethan Neuenschwander
#3S - Ayden Lehman - 1-6, 2-6 - Garrett Forrest
#1D - Ethan Claassen/Malachi Yoder - 6-1, 6-0 - Quinn Lies/Braxton Beeman
#2D - Isaya Magatti/Jordan Hochstedler - 6-0, 6-0 - Isaac Schuemann/Silas Porter