The Story - Chapter 7 - Bethany Christian v. Westview

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The Varsity Story 

“Sustain-Ability”

On a darkening September evening, the Bruins competed against the district ranked Warriors from Westview. Statistically, they will be one of the best teams we compete against this season.

And compete the Bruins did. At every position in the lineup, the Bruins pushed the Warriors to the brink with tenacity, timely serving, angled net play and energetic execution of their strategies. Well, for one set in each match we did that.

At #1S, Judah needed to remember that his biggest strength is variety and depth. He left the ball too short in the first set and paid for it, as the Warrior #1 found angle after angle for winners. In the second, Judah dug in. With the ball deeper, his opponent made more errors trying to force offense. Judah took the set deep, but couldn’t quite grab a lead. He made it nervy, but couldn’t quite get the break.

The match that was maybe the closest contest of the whole night was the one that had the most lopsided score. Elias fell 6-2, 6-1, but he was actually the last two set match on the courts. His style of play required his opponent to come up with offense again and again, and his match was full of long points and deuces. Many times, it seemed Elias just lacked the final shot to end a rally.

At #3S, Aaron had the closest scoreline of the night. In a very consistent first set, he played with a simple confidence and ease. His opponent made a lot of errors and Aaron wrapped up a great first set. But his opponent refocused for the second set. Aaron made a few more errors, but his opponent had stepped up his aggressive play. He forced a third set, and Aaron made a good effort at changing a couple of tactics of his own. In the end, the Warriors attacking shots put Aaron in difficult defensive positions, and he lost in 3 sets.

The doubles were tight first sets. Both teams were doing a great job on serve. At #1D, we were really ripping serves well and when weak returns came our way, we finished them with authority. But we couldn’t find a rhythm on our return games. Struggling to put them in play, we were finally broken at the tail end of the set. The lack of rhythm continued into the second, and we didn’t keep up our level of resistance.

It was really a similar story at #2D, where we would have excellent points and groundstrokes, but then just couldn’t find the rhythm. In the first set, we were finding the shots that finished the points. In the second set, we couldn’t quite get our nervous feet to move in position to attack those shots. As they went wayward, so did the second set.

So, a 5-0 defeat with some real bright spots. We played up to the level of a really good team. For us to step up to that level, we need the ability to sustain our highest level. To stay concentrated and energetic. We can do it. We can bring ourselves to sustain that. We know that we need to, and can challenge ourselves to do it now.

Let’s go Bruins!

The JV Story

Our JV matches continue to be full of drama. They are fun matches that have surprising twists and turns, where our players are challenged to dig in and compete. It's really developing some talented tennis players.

Isaya at #1SJV was the first to experience that. He fell behind early in his match and the scoreline stayed close, but always with him just a game behind. The match was also taking a while, as both players hit consistently and constructed long points. But Isaya figured out what he needed to do right at the pressure point of the match, when he was down 4-3. Then he was able to execute on his strategy and it paid off. He really enjoyed the pay off of a match like that, and it was fun to talk afterward about how rewarding it can be to form a plan and watch it work!

Isaya got to play a second match as well, and in this one he took a big lead to start the match. Then his opponent made the tactical switch and mounted a comeback, which Isaya had to fend off. After losing some match point chances when he led 5-2 and 5-3, Isaya was able to get over the line for his second victory on the night.

At #2SJV, Eli's match looked to be on a similar trajectory. But instead of things kind of coming together, they just fell apart a bit. Eli had played consistently at the beginning of the match, and that fell off a bit at the end as the match entered its tight stages. 

Speaking of tight matches, Ayden played two of the closest. Unfortunately, he couldn't quite mark either of them in the win category. Ayden's game relies on consistency and hustle, and the hustle is never in question. But sometimes he can have inconsistent moments. When these happen during big points, like in close games or at the end of a set, it can cost. Ayden did an incredible job tonight of fending his opponent's off in big moments, defending multiple match points in both matches. His tiebreak to end the singles match went all the way to 11-9 because he kept making his opponent earn it. I'm really proud of that ability in Ayden.

And I was also proud of Ethan at #6SJV. He rarely plays singles match, instead usually playing doubles. In fact, he had secured a doubles victory earlier in the night with James. So, he fell behind here 5-1. Then Ethan really came to life. He started swinging with a little more intensity. I think that swing intensity also helped the speed of his footwork. His improved footwork put him in great spaces, and he made a comeback that fell just short.

In the doubles, Ender and Sam got us started first. They were playing #2DJV, but happened to be the next match we started with. There match was close all the way to the end, and there were spectacular efforts and spectacular shots that helped them secure a 7-5 win. But what really helped them get the win was the way they did the routine things well. Returns in the court, serves in the box, making the other team play. Sam and Ender did that well in this one.

At #1DJV, Josiah and Silas had opponents who hit the ball a bit harder and played just a bit more offense in general. Therefore, Josiah and Silas found themselves playing defense a lot. This meant that they needed to have early preparation and good placement. Sometimes this came off brilliantly, with angled volleys or shot directed up the line. Sometimes it didn't. In the end, the aggressive Warriors team took the match.

James and Ethan played #3DJV tonight, and they got a great win. James and Ethan really controlled the net, which is so key in doubles. They made it difficult to get the ball around them in the rallies, and found open court when they hit from the baseline. They continue to get better at their serving consistency as well, as there were not many double faults taking points away from them.

Finally, the last doubles of the night was Leo and Josiah S. This was Leo's first match of the season, and so there were some nerves around that. Nerves usually take their biggest toll on movement, and it looked like that was true for this group. Though they hustled well after their opponent's shots, they moved late. But when they were in good positions, their forehands and backhands looked really good. Josiah moved around and patrolled with a consistent shot most of the match, which was really nice to see.

Who Can Focus in the Moment?
Moments of Wise Play

Behind the Runner

Elias did a really good job of recognizing what was available to him when he came to the net tonight. He often finished those points with an overhead into the open court, but late in the match he showed another kind of wisdom. He approached to his opponent’s backhand and got a volley in return. His opponent was already preparing to cover the open court to his right, so Elias simply directed the volley back into the baseline corner. It wasn’t a hard shot, and it certainly wasn’t flashy. It was just solid, purposeful tennis. He saw where his opponent was going and calmly put the ball somewhere else. Often, wise play is just that - seeing the court clearly and letting the simple shot do its work.

Who Can Have Peace in the Match?

Moments of Belonging and Encouragement

Who Needs Us?

The guys did a really good job of moving from court to court tonight, looking for teammates who needed some encouragement. They seemed especially drawn to the biggest moments—the tiebreaks, the final games, the points when a match was hanging in the balance. And that encouragement lasted all the way to the end. Ayden and Isaya were the last matches on the courts, and the guys gathered around them, getting loud and cheering them on. There’s something really good about a team that doesn’t just care about what’s happened in their own matches. We want our teammates to win, too.

Who Can Have Joy for the Season?
Moments for Celebration

Aaron's Angled overhead

Aaron, playing #3 singles, had one of those points that was just a joy to watch because it had a little bit of everything. He came forward for a ball and used our adjusted tactic of putting the approach right on the service line. Then he volleyed his opponent to one side of the court, then the other, patiently moving him around. Eventually, his opponent pushed Aaron back with a scooped lob that went just over his head. Aaron took two quick steps back and carved an overhead volley for a winner, breaking the short-angled forehand sideline with the shot. Movement, tactics, patience, adjustment, and then a really fun winning shot at the end. That’s a pretty enjoyable way to win a point.

Ethan's Power and Movement

Ethan M was down late in his match and getting a bit frustrated. He had missed a couple of shots in a row to go down Love-30 on his opponent's serve. On the next point, he moved quickly to a return and absolutely smashed it into the forehand corner. It went in for a winner, and we called out some encouragement to him. And then, inspired, he did it again on the very next return. And then a third time! Suddenly, something had changed. Ethan had found some new energy, and he started dragging himself back into the match. More than that, his attitude had changed. He was enjoying tennis again. Sometimes joy doesn't come because everything is going well. Sometimes it comes when you find your fight again—and remember that tennis is supposed to be fun.

Awards

Cheerleader: Ender
Hustle: Ethan M
Dig Deep: Isaya

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

God, tonight was a late night. We played until the sun was down and we could barely see the ball we were trying to hit. Those nights leave me with a satisfied type of tiredness, one that feels good that I was able to spend the day doing things that mattered - encouraging others, trying to get people to push themselves, consoling and congratulating. Thanks for surrounding us with a team that matters, that is full of people that have awesome personalities, talents and ways of thinking. May we learn, grow and live in Your joy. In Jesus' name! Amen.

Scores
Varsity
#1S - Judah Miller - 0-6, 5-7 - Kaden Hostetler (12)
#2S - Elias Magatti - 2-6, 1-6 - Luke Stults (12)
#3S - Aaron Hochstetler - 6-3, 0-6, 2-6 - Ethan Miller (12)
#1D - Ethan Claassen/Malachi Yoder - 4-6, 1-6 - Pierce Yoder (12)/Jaxon Miller (11)
#2D - Lucas Bateman/Jordan Hochstedler - 4-6, 2-6 - Hudson Yoder (11)/Avery Christner (10)

Junior Varsity

#1SJV - Isaya Magatti - 6-4 - Evan Roth (10)

#2SJV - Eli Steiner - 2-6 - Brigham Rahn (9)

#3SJV - Ayden Lehman - 4-6 - Alex Stutzman (9)

#4SJV - Isaya Magatti - 6-4 - Miles Yoder (9)

#5SJV - Ayden Lehman - 5-6 - Grady Yoder (10)

#6SJV - Ethan Miller - 3-6 - Declan Ryall (9)

#1DJV - Silas Martin/Josiah Aguilar Clark - 2-6 - Ethan Roth (10)/Brigham Rahn (9)

#2DJV - Ender Finnigan/Sam Brenneman - 7-5 - Grady Yoder (10)/Miles Yoder (9)

#3DJV - Ethan Miller/James Weaver - 6-3 - Durrel Frey (10)/Declan Ryall (9)

#4DJV - Josiah Shue/Leo Schlabach - 2-6 - Durrel Frey (10)/Alex Stutzman (9)