Well, despite the chance of rain, some moments of drizzle, some wind, chilly weather, and a surprisingly-pollenated Court 4 at the Cowls Street courts, we were able to start and finish our first match of the 2010 Spring Tennis Season today! We hosted the always-tough Sunset Apollos, who are always a force to be reckoned with in the highly competitive Metro League each and every season. I would rank this team as a Top 15 or even as a Top 10 program at the 6A Level in the State of Oregon . . . so going into this contest, I knew it would be a great match. The Apollos had some great players with great strokes, and our boys played them tough at every spot in the line-up.
In regular district play, the format for a team dual match is a total of 9 matches, with 5 singles matches and 4 doubles matches counting for the overall team score. Today, however, we had four singles matches and five doubles matches, and as a result, we had one more player from each team who had the opportunity to play a varsity tennis match!
The kids competed hard today and played well at every position. At number one singles, sophomore Jesse Stahl played patient, steady tennis and outsmarted and outlasted a talented player from Sunset. Jesse played with a good mix aggressive and defensive shots today and pulled out a match filled with great long rallies, 6-4, 6-2. At two singles, junior Alex Worth played his heart out and took part in a great see-saw battle with a talented singles player from Sunset. Alex battled through tough conditions and an injury in the middle of the match to take the match into a heated third set. The player from Sunset eventually won the match 6-4, 6-7 (8), 6-3, but Alex gave all he had to battle throughout the match. At the number three spot in singles, junior Casey Baker had an outstanding see-saw battle with his experienced and skilled opponent, showed off his improved footwork skills and topspin strokes, but eventually lost a well-played match on his part in two close sets 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3). Finally, at the number four singles spot, the "human backboard," senior Aaron Case, battled the Sunset player (who possessed a killer forehand!), hustled for every ball, and lost a close match 7-5, 6-4.
On the doubles side of the line-up, the guys showed tremendous poise and a great deal of sportsmanship in their matches today. At the number one spot, juniors Chris Colvin and Myles Horton had some great rallies and hit some outstanding volleys. Sunset came away with a win at this spot, winning 6-3, 6-3. At number two doubles spot Seniors Russell Jarmer and Connor White showed tremendous patience in their match against a very skilled doubles team from Sunset. Our boys had some great recovery shots during the match and some nice rallies. Sunset prevailed 6-1, 6-1 at this spot in the line-up. At number three doubles, senior Mike Casner and freshman Will Worth showed great effort and got off to a fast start, winning their first set 6-4. They battled through another tough set, eventually losing the second set 7-5. In the third set, the Sunset team got in a groove and prevailed 6-1 in the final set to take the match. In this match, Mike had some great defensive shots and Will hit some powerful smashes! At the number four spot, Seniors Kevin Sullivan and Jaker Baker had an impressive varsity tennis debut and won in convincing fashion 6-3, 6-2 against a skilled Sunset tandem. "Team Lob" played some great tennis and frustrated their opponents on countless occasions by bringing them into the net with a short, drop shot, and immediately lobbing them to win the point. Great effort guys! Finally, at the number five doubles spot, senior Ben Lewis and sophomore Marshall Dittel-Payne played a tough three set match, eventually losing 10-7 in the third set super-tiebreaker.
Final Match Results
Sunset Apollos 7, McMinnville Grizzlies 2 (Mac players in BOLD below)
Singles
1. Jesse Stahl def. Jeff Yeom 6-4, 6-2
2. Max Lee def Alex Worth 6-4, 6-7 (8), 6-3
3. Saawan Patel def. Casey Baker 7-6(4), 7-6(3)
4. Thomas Kim def. Aaron Case 7-5, 6-4
Doubles
1. Andrew Tai/Andrew Nagel def. Myles Horton/Chris Colvin 6-3, 6-3
2. Anish Bilakanti/Ian Paik def. Connor White/Russell Jarmer 6-1, 6-1
3. Nihal Patel/Brian Mcketwich def. Will Worth/Mike Casner 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
4. Kevin Sullivan/Jake Baker def. Dan Dang/Konstentin/Mueller 6-3, 6-2
5. David Choi/Zarin Lucerno def. Ben Lewis/Marshall Dittel-Payne 2-6, 6-3, 10-7
Overall, I though our guys played with tremendous poise and confidence in their matches, demonstrated great sportsmanship on the court, were great teammates as they cheered each other on from the sidelines, and of course . . . hit some great tennis shots! The effort shown today by our guys shows their determination and desire to achieve one of our team goals this season . . . to win the Pacific Conference Championship. By putting in the work, showing great effort on the court, and representing McMinnville High School well today during our match, our guys will accomplish great things this season! I am privileged to be able to coach a great group of tennis players who are also a great group of human beings. I appreciate all of the support we received from the parents today; thanks for showing up . . . and a special thanks to Doug and Carolyn Johnson for the great snacks today!
Great work Grizzlies!
Our next match is this Thursday, March 18 at 4pm at Westview High School. I hope to see you all there.
