Happy Mothers Day!
This is a recap post, but I'll start by thanking all the Mom's out there, especially of our WhitWomen's Tennis team and mostly my Mom for always being there for me - Mom, you're the best!
Well, our team season concluded yesterday with a hard fought round of 32 match with the Athena's of CMS. Coming off an inspiring 5-4 win over UT Tyler in the first round of NCAA's, we carried our intensity and fight into yesterday's match with the #5 ranked team in the country.
After dropping one doubles quickly to an on fire CMS team, two and three doubles showcased our growth that we can play with anyone at any spot in the lineup. Allie and Morgan have only played one match and a few practices together as Morgan spent the latter part of the season recovering from a groin pull. They got down 6-2, but the fire was lit and it was unreal to see Morgan leading them and Allie showing off her MUCH improved doubles. In the end they fell 7-9, but showed that our doubles future is so bright! At two, our most consistent team of Erin and Katrina started with amazing energy to go up 3-0, then CMS fought back to 3-3 and the battle was on. Trading games it was inspiring to see how our team embraced the moment to earn a huge hold at 6-6 and a break to win 8-6 and get us on the board.
Singles was intense from the start. The Athenas are so good because they are solid up and down the lineup, but at 4 and 5 especially, they are wonderful experienced singles players and our newcomers Erin and Allie played like veterans fighting and staying focused on the moment, but each of them fell by deceiving straight set scores. So, down 4-1 with Maddy the only one up a set, I was again so impressed with our effort. Many teams would go away, but we fought and scrapped with Jenna going up a break in the second set, Courtney showing her patented determination to will herself from being down a set and 4-5 to a 7-5 second set. Morgan dropped an intense long first set and then was down 1-4. Morgan, even still not 100% with her leg is one of the best fighters in the business and she came up with some shots and gets that were inspiring as she fought back to 4-4 in the second set. Unfortunately it wasn't enough as her opponent stepped up to win 6-4 and clinch the match.
Overall, the tournament was such a great way to end a phenomenal season. How much the team enjoyed the process of setting lofty goals and doing the work to get better every day was incredible. We hold our heads high with much pride for what we've done and would have wanted more tennis as it would mean more time together. So, there is a mix of finality with the end of Hannah, Maggie and Olivia's college tennis careers. I'm so proud as they were a huge part our development from a competitive team in conference to a regular national contender. Even more than that, they exemplify what it means to not only grow your tennis, but grow as teammates and people. I'm so proud of them as they near graduation and very bright futures as intelligent, respectful, talented leaders.
This year has also seen the emergence of Chelsea Patton as a coach. In her first year coaching, C Patt had an incredible impact on our team, adding intensity to everything while teaching the team not just how to get better on court, but how to give your whole heart, mind and body to something. Congrats on an amazing season Coach Patton!
We also can never say enough what it means to have our incredible support system, so on Mother's day I am so happy to have had a terrific family and friend presence at the matches. Thanks to the Wallin, Dobrin, Allick, Palkowitz, Bell and Webster families for cheering us on at NCAA's! You're all so outstanding.
So concludes a terrific season and we look forward to summer adventures and an even bigger year next year as we return the bulk of our team and welcome a strong class of first year players. BUT....
we're not done yet! Courtney will be competing at NCAA individual nationals, right back at the CMS courts in Claremont CA Thursday through Saturday May 22-24th!
Happy Mothers Day!
Coach John
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Links to watch or follow scores at NCAA regionals
Tomorrow is match day, Friday at 10am PST versus UT Tyler.
You can watch live at:
http://www.firstteambroadcasting.com/events/2014/05/09/wten-ncaa-tournament-whitman-vs-texas-tyler/
You can follow live scoring at:
https://webapps.cmc.edu/livescore/
Go Missionaries!
You can watch live at:
http://www.firstteambroadcasting.com/events/2014/05/09/wten-ncaa-tournament-whitman-vs-texas-tyler/
You can follow live scoring at:
https://webapps.cmc.edu/livescore/
Go Missionaries!
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Headed to Claremont
Hello friends,
If you haven't heard, our Whittie Women are headed south to Claremont, CA, where the CMS Athenas host the first three rounds (regionals) of the NCAA tournament.
We come in as the 4 seed in this 6 team regional and I'm super excited to play a really solid UT Tyler team. They are #5 in the regional and sit just outside the ITA rankings (one of the top unranked teams in the country), so we're looking forward to a great match Friday at 10am on the lower courts at CMS.
The winner moves on to play top regional seed and #5 in the nation CMS. We played CMS early on in Hawaii and while they were missing two key players, their top players played and we battled to a 3-6 loss with some close ones so we'd love the opportunity for a rematch.
On the other side of the bracket challenging for a spot in the elite 8 are LaVerne, Pomona-Pitzer and UC Santa Cruz. It's the deepest regional in the country and we love the challenge ahead.
If you are coming to watch and haven't already been in touch, please let me know, we have such amazing fans and look forward to a great atmosphere on Friday!
Draws are at ncaa.com the link is
http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/tennis-women/d3/2013
My best to all!
John
If you haven't heard, our Whittie Women are headed south to Claremont, CA, where the CMS Athenas host the first three rounds (regionals) of the NCAA tournament.
We come in as the 4 seed in this 6 team regional and I'm super excited to play a really solid UT Tyler team. They are #5 in the regional and sit just outside the ITA rankings (one of the top unranked teams in the country), so we're looking forward to a great match Friday at 10am on the lower courts at CMS.
The winner moves on to play top regional seed and #5 in the nation CMS. We played CMS early on in Hawaii and while they were missing two key players, their top players played and we battled to a 3-6 loss with some close ones so we'd love the opportunity for a rematch.
On the other side of the bracket challenging for a spot in the elite 8 are LaVerne, Pomona-Pitzer and UC Santa Cruz. It's the deepest regional in the country and we love the challenge ahead.
If you are coming to watch and haven't already been in touch, please let me know, we have such amazing fans and look forward to a great atmosphere on Friday!
Draws are at ncaa.com the link is
http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/tennis-women/d3/2013
My best to all!
John
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Northwest Champs! On to the NCAA Tourney!
What a weekend!
We worked all year to stay undefeated in conference which gave us our second straight NWC championship and the right to host the 4 team tournament to decide who gets the automatic qualification for the NCAA tournament.
This year the theme has been to carry playoff intensity during each practice and match, so we talked about Saturday's match being nothing different. In a way it was as we have battled injuries all year and have had the depth to handle it. In the semi's Saturday versus UPS we hoped Morgan would be back and she is close but needed a bit more rehab. At the same time, our #1 doubles team were both nursing minor leg injuries. So, it was incredibly special to play it as we had all year, getting all three doubles points and then entering singles with Courtney and Maddy resting. This gave an incredible opportunity for everyone to step up, including Olivia, who has played incredible singles this year and saw her first post season action at #6. She was up a set playing well after some early nerves, but the match was finished and stopped when Erin at #2 and Katrina at #4 won in straight sets.
Sunday morning I didn't know if Saturday nights rain would go away and keep us on our beautiful new outdoor courts. Luckily it cleared for our match with Linfield. The wildcats have been playing great late season and gave us our closest match of the season early on in a 5-4 win for us that came down to the last match. Early on things looked good in windy conditions with all three doubles teams leading. As we got wins at 1 and 2, #3 got super close and between the wind and the nerves between all four players neither team gained any separation. This is where Hannah's senior leadership came through as she made some spectacular plays to get us to the breaker. As the tie break started, the difference between a 3-0 Whitman lead and 2-1 felt huge to both teams. We got down early as Linfield played great, then at 3-4, Jenna hit two huge serves and we had the momentum and lead that carried us to the final doubles point and a 3-0 lead.
Going into singles, we were excited to go after each point and won the first set at all 6 spots. It was great to see Courtney and Maddy each battle to 7-5 wins against tough opponents who got tougher in the wind. Early on, Erin and Allie seemed to be in charge of their matches, but after struggling to break serve at #6, once Katrina did, she relaxed and got us our next point with a 6-3,6-0 win. Allie at #4 had just flipped the scorecard to 5-0 in the second and I think she felt that the match was on her racket as she exploded in the final game, crushing balls to the corners to clinch our third straight tournament title and trip to the NCAA's!
I'm so proud of our team's improvement throughout the year. The way they compete together, support each other and play with great intensity while showing the utmost respect and sportsmanship is amazing. All this comes from the incredible bonds they have created and the love on this team is really flowing as we prepare for regionals.
The NCAA regional rounds (Round of 64,32, and 16) will be announced (location, date/time and opponents) on Monday. We'll be ready to travel and take on whomever we get the opportunity to play.
Thanks so much to the families (yeah Joel, Sandy, Mark!), friends (too many to name) and alums (go Dena, Emily, Christy!) who cheered us on. Our home courts are truly as special as Whitman itself with the center of campus being not only the most beautiful place to watch a match, but it is also so active there and the support of our fans gave the place an incredible playoff atmosphere.
I'll write again when we find out where we're headed!
Coach John
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Seniors Carry Whitman to Northwest Conference Title
Happy Easter!
I could not be happier with our regular season this year. Our program has always been about the student athlete experience and player development. Within this structure, improving each year the goals we pursue have gone up and up. Two years ago in 2012 we won our first NWC tournament to go to the NCAA's where we beat my alma mater in the round of 64. Last year we went undefeated in conference play, repeated as tournament champs and went to NCAA's again. We aren't nearly where we hope our journey in the playoffs takes us this year yet, but this weekend in Portland we finished a perfect 12-0 season in conference and wrapped up our second consecutive conference championship.
The weekend in Portland was special because last year we really leaned on our top 3 players who were all first team all conference and gave us so many points in doubles and singles. We found out at NCAA's that you need to be better throughout the lineup and I'm so proud to coach a group of talented young women who this year chose to dream big, challenge themselves and do the work each practice and match all year to get better each day at every aspect of college tennis. As we defeated Linfield 8-1, Willamette 6-3 and Pacific 8-1 the contributions from newcomers Seana Minuth, Allie Wallin and Erin Bell were instrumental along with returners Katrina Allick, Jenna Dobrin, Maddy Webster, Courtney Lawless and Morgan Lawless, but the seniors also really stepped up.
It started versus Linfield where Hannah served and returned with precision and power and made the most of Jenna's huge shots to put away balls at the net; her focus, leadership, intensity and great play got us our first point and the momentum in the match! Maggie and Liv played exhibitions that day so we had 6 courts going during doubles and while spread out, we could feel their energy as Maggie dropped her match but Liv stormed through hers! I can't talk about this match without mentioning our Whittie of the Match Courtney who gutted out not just a doubles win with Maddy but also after losing the first set she set her will against her opponent and improved her tennis to take the second set 6-1 and a thrilling 10-8 third set tiebreak!
Saturday was the longest day of the season so we wanted to rest as many players as possible and also get matches for everyone in our back to back with Willamette and Pacific. Against Willamette, their #1 doubles team came out tough and got more fired up as the proset went along, they played terrific and got a point, so having HP and Jenna's dubs as well as our "freshman dubs" at 3 with Allie and Seana was HUGE. With the lead and tough matchups at 1 and 2, Katrina led the way to put us up 3-1, Hannah followed being our rock as ever, but she was just a little bit too quick as she finished about 30 seconds before Seana at #6 won her match to clinch the match and the conference championship. Liv followed with a straight set win at #5 and I can't say enough how special it is to go from being a talented but inconsistent performer to the rock that she is for us now. Seana was so great in singles and dubs she was our Whittie of the Match, it's not easy for a first year player to step in and perform for big points, and Seana did it with tremendous poise and solid play.
After driving through the beautiful Willamette Valley wine country, we arrived at Pacific to scattered showers. Knowing we had to drive home after and the championship was sealed, the team could have let up; that was NOT the case as we dominated 8-1 and our only loss was an inspiring performance by E Bell at #1 in a 3 set match that had some of the biggest serving and shot making we've seen this year (and we've played some GREAT competition). It felt like a win for Erin who is steadily expanding her game and comfort zone, we're proud that she earned the Whittie of the Match for her clutch doubles and amazing singles play.
But in keeping with the senior theme, Liv got into doubles and teamed with Seana to get a point at #3 while HP joined with Allie to dominate at #2 giving us the doubles sweep. All three seniors stepped into singles with HP at 4, Liv at 5 and Maggie at 6. They dropped 11 games between them all winning in straight sets and to see each of them finish their regular season careers with some of their best tennis was a special moment for the whole team but especially me as a coach who has been with them for four great years.
I asked a lot of this team with our schedule this weekend, but we wanted a quick trip to have as much time on campus as possible and we did that by packing so much great tennis into two days and by winning we'll get more time on campus as we host the NWC Championships, the tournament to decide which team gets the automatic berth to NCAA's. We'll be at home hosting UPS, Linfield and Whitworth. Check the Whitman Website for the schedule and I hope to get a blog preview out in the next couple days as we prepare for a run at another championship!
Happy Easter (again) Mom, Dad, Sara, Beth - my whole family and all of our Whitman tennis family.
Love,
Coach John
I could not be happier with our regular season this year. Our program has always been about the student athlete experience and player development. Within this structure, improving each year the goals we pursue have gone up and up. Two years ago in 2012 we won our first NWC tournament to go to the NCAA's where we beat my alma mater in the round of 64. Last year we went undefeated in conference play, repeated as tournament champs and went to NCAA's again. We aren't nearly where we hope our journey in the playoffs takes us this year yet, but this weekend in Portland we finished a perfect 12-0 season in conference and wrapped up our second consecutive conference championship.
 |
| HP leads the way here in practice just like she does in matches |
The weekend in Portland was special because last year we really leaned on our top 3 players who were all first team all conference and gave us so many points in doubles and singles. We found out at NCAA's that you need to be better throughout the lineup and I'm so proud to coach a group of talented young women who this year chose to dream big, challenge themselves and do the work each practice and match all year to get better each day at every aspect of college tennis. As we defeated Linfield 8-1, Willamette 6-3 and Pacific 8-1 the contributions from newcomers Seana Minuth, Allie Wallin and Erin Bell were instrumental along with returners Katrina Allick, Jenna Dobrin, Maddy Webster, Courtney Lawless and Morgan Lawless, but the seniors also really stepped up.
It started versus Linfield where Hannah served and returned with precision and power and made the most of Jenna's huge shots to put away balls at the net; her focus, leadership, intensity and great play got us our first point and the momentum in the match! Maggie and Liv played exhibitions that day so we had 6 courts going during doubles and while spread out, we could feel their energy as Maggie dropped her match but Liv stormed through hers! I can't talk about this match without mentioning our Whittie of the Match Courtney who gutted out not just a doubles win with Maddy but also after losing the first set she set her will against her opponent and improved her tennis to take the second set 6-1 and a thrilling 10-8 third set tiebreak!
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| Liv practices her signature backhand |
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| Maggie's forehand has become a formidible weapon |
But in keeping with the senior theme, Liv got into doubles and teamed with Seana to get a point at #3 while HP joined with Allie to dominate at #2 giving us the doubles sweep. All three seniors stepped into singles with HP at 4, Liv at 5 and Maggie at 6. They dropped 11 games between them all winning in straight sets and to see each of them finish their regular season careers with some of their best tennis was a special moment for the whole team but especially me as a coach who has been with them for four great years.
I asked a lot of this team with our schedule this weekend, but we wanted a quick trip to have as much time on campus as possible and we did that by packing so much great tennis into two days and by winning we'll get more time on campus as we host the NWC Championships, the tournament to decide which team gets the automatic berth to NCAA's. We'll be at home hosting UPS, Linfield and Whitworth. Check the Whitman Website for the schedule and I hope to get a blog preview out in the next couple days as we prepare for a run at another championship!
Happy Easter (again) Mom, Dad, Sara, Beth - my whole family and all of our Whitman tennis family.
Love,
Coach John
Friday, April 18, 2014
Wonderful Family Alumni Friend Weekend and Final Regular Season Matches
The time does fly by this time of year so I'll give you some highlights from the past two weeks
- We hosted a wonderful Family, Friends Alumni weekend; thanks to all those who traveled or came to the events locally, it means an incredible amount to have amazing support and love from our families and friends.
- Chelsea put together a wonderful year in review slide show at our dinner and Jenna wrote a clever poem honoring our three seniors.
- We hit the courts for a showdown with Whitworth, each of us undefeated in conference play; the match was intense with our doubles stepping up for a 3-0 lead and then winning the first set in 4 of 6 matches a large gray cloud sat overhead dropping rain and pushing us indoors. Courtney and EBell sealed the deal with quick second sets; Katrina and Maddy followed and both Allie and Jenna grabbed the momentum to win the second set and win in match tie breaks. In exhibition play, Seana played great to win and Liv got down 4-7 before storming back to win 9-7, what a match!
- With the lead in Conference in hand we relaxed and played some tennis with families; it was great to have the Bates women on court, our illustrious alums battling it out and I got to join the Webster family for a doubles set in which Maddy and Bob somehow came away with a victory despite many big shots from my partner Annie. Maddy forgot how to miss and Bob is deceptively fast in boat shoes and jeans!
This weekend we head to the West side to play Friday in McMinnville vs Linfield who we narrowly escaped from 5-4 at home; then we take on Willamette and Pacific in a double header. It should be 36 hours of incredible fun, and we plan to get a lot of different people matches as we have already clinched a spot in the conference tournament and are looking to seal our second consecutive NWC Title and host the tournament next week.
Stay tuned tennis fans, here we go!
Coach John
Monday, April 7, 2014
The Second Half Begins. Big Weekend at Whitman Coming Up
Hello friends,
After a wonderful Spring Break trip, it is so good to be back on campus together again. The joy in this team is the daily work we do and I was hoping we would continue to demonstrate the fruits of that work in our match play. This is something the team certainly did this weekend at home versus George Fox and Lewis and Clark.
Both teams we have already played with resounding 9-0 wins on the road. This time, I can't tell you how excited I was to get back into conference play and show that the competitive matches over break have resulted in many players finding a new level in their game. There were certainly opportunities to play as Friday we rested Courtney to save a match date (she would have gone over from competing in the Fall National USTA/ITA event), Erin was out of town for a family event, and Olivia was taking her senior written exam.
Against George Fox, early rain gave way to mixed sun and clouds and we got to play outside; having 6 courts is a phenomenal upgrade and I still can't get over how beautiful the setting is to play.
We started out with some different doubles and it paid off in a sweep. Maddy and Tree were focused and aggressive at 1, Hannah and Jenna stayed tough at 2, and our all first year team crushed it at 3! We carried that momentum into singles with highlights being Maggie stepping in at 6 with her Dad visiting from Maine and taking a solid straight set win! Allie is back to full strength and is looking great and Hannah also performed in front of her Mom (thanks for coming Tom and Johanna!) with solid wins. Tree and Maddy showed that moving up in the lineup was no problem as did Jenna who played some wonderful tennis getting a win at the #1 spot, way to go JD!
Saturday was our campus kids day and our young fans were treated to a rematch of last year's NWC tournament final. LC is not the team they were, but they did get a key player back from injury and it bolstered their lineup especially at 2 doubles where San Francisco natives Katrina and Seana were outplayed to give LC their only point. It is great to see Tree continue to grow as a leader and confident player; also for Seana I have been chomping at the bit to get her into some bigger and bigger doubles matches. She has impressed all along and this match is one she knows that on a different day she and Tree have the tennis to win so I'm excited to see her continue to develop. At one, Maddy and Court dominated and also did things we wanted them to after Spring Break, and at 3, Hannah and Allie outgunned their opponents with solid groundies and aggressive net play to put us up 2-1.
In singles, Courtney was back and dropped one game for a total of 2 on the day; seeing her tennis improve at this point in the season is perhaps one of the most exciting things on our team considering she has been at such a high level for so long. Jenna took a break and Tree, Allie, and Hannah all kept the focus and efficiently worked through their matches to clinch it 5-2. On court 6, Seana also rolled through her match, again, something she needed in her game was the composure to play her game against any opponent and when its in the top 6 sometimes people let the moment get to them. This was a breakthrough for Seana who really stayed consistent mentally and had great energy winning 6-0, 6-2. The closest match was court 4 where Maddy and her opponent both struggled for consistency in the first set with LC taking it. Then, Maddy focused and came out strong in the second, going up 4-1 before her opponent stepped up to bring it back to 4-4. At this point, both big hitting players were finally in their groove at the same time and the tennis was excellent. Maddy finished off the set 6-4 and took that momentum into the match tie break, winning it 10-4 to give us an 8-1 win and a home sweep!
After the match, we enjoyed a clinic and games with local kids. It is so much fun to give back and share in the enthusiasm of kids learning the game. Thanks goes to the ITA and USTA for initiating these events!
We're now 8-0 in conference with 4 matches to go. This weekend is a huge one as we square off with rival Whitworth who are 9-0 in conference and it marks the first dual match in the Wallin twins careers at their respective schools.
The match is at 2pm Saturday at Whitman and we also have senior/family/alumni weekend. If you have RSVP'd, I'll be emailing you today with details, if not and you'd like to come, please contact me ASAP and we'll get you involved in:
Friday - Watch practice (4:30pm) and men's match (3pm)
Saturday - Whitworth match (2pm) and Dinner (7pm)
Sunday - Fun Tennis Day (10am)
Happy spring!
John
heinj@whitman.edu
After a wonderful Spring Break trip, it is so good to be back on campus together again. The joy in this team is the daily work we do and I was hoping we would continue to demonstrate the fruits of that work in our match play. This is something the team certainly did this weekend at home versus George Fox and Lewis and Clark.
Both teams we have already played with resounding 9-0 wins on the road. This time, I can't tell you how excited I was to get back into conference play and show that the competitive matches over break have resulted in many players finding a new level in their game. There were certainly opportunities to play as Friday we rested Courtney to save a match date (she would have gone over from competing in the Fall National USTA/ITA event), Erin was out of town for a family event, and Olivia was taking her senior written exam.
Against George Fox, early rain gave way to mixed sun and clouds and we got to play outside; having 6 courts is a phenomenal upgrade and I still can't get over how beautiful the setting is to play.
 |
| No Better Place to Play - the view from the Rose Garden by Maxey Hall |
We started out with some different doubles and it paid off in a sweep. Maddy and Tree were focused and aggressive at 1, Hannah and Jenna stayed tough at 2, and our all first year team crushed it at 3! We carried that momentum into singles with highlights being Maggie stepping in at 6 with her Dad visiting from Maine and taking a solid straight set win! Allie is back to full strength and is looking great and Hannah also performed in front of her Mom (thanks for coming Tom and Johanna!) with solid wins. Tree and Maddy showed that moving up in the lineup was no problem as did Jenna who played some wonderful tennis getting a win at the #1 spot, way to go JD!
Saturday was our campus kids day and our young fans were treated to a rematch of last year's NWC tournament final. LC is not the team they were, but they did get a key player back from injury and it bolstered their lineup especially at 2 doubles where San Francisco natives Katrina and Seana were outplayed to give LC their only point. It is great to see Tree continue to grow as a leader and confident player; also for Seana I have been chomping at the bit to get her into some bigger and bigger doubles matches. She has impressed all along and this match is one she knows that on a different day she and Tree have the tennis to win so I'm excited to see her continue to develop. At one, Maddy and Court dominated and also did things we wanted them to after Spring Break, and at 3, Hannah and Allie outgunned their opponents with solid groundies and aggressive net play to put us up 2-1.
In singles, Courtney was back and dropped one game for a total of 2 on the day; seeing her tennis improve at this point in the season is perhaps one of the most exciting things on our team considering she has been at such a high level for so long. Jenna took a break and Tree, Allie, and Hannah all kept the focus and efficiently worked through their matches to clinch it 5-2. On court 6, Seana also rolled through her match, again, something she needed in her game was the composure to play her game against any opponent and when its in the top 6 sometimes people let the moment get to them. This was a breakthrough for Seana who really stayed consistent mentally and had great energy winning 6-0, 6-2. The closest match was court 4 where Maddy and her opponent both struggled for consistency in the first set with LC taking it. Then, Maddy focused and came out strong in the second, going up 4-1 before her opponent stepped up to bring it back to 4-4. At this point, both big hitting players were finally in their groove at the same time and the tennis was excellent. Maddy finished off the set 6-4 and took that momentum into the match tie break, winning it 10-4 to give us an 8-1 win and a home sweep!
After the match, we enjoyed a clinic and games with local kids. It is so much fun to give back and share in the enthusiasm of kids learning the game. Thanks goes to the ITA and USTA for initiating these events!
We're now 8-0 in conference with 4 matches to go. This weekend is a huge one as we square off with rival Whitworth who are 9-0 in conference and it marks the first dual match in the Wallin twins careers at their respective schools.
The match is at 2pm Saturday at Whitman and we also have senior/family/alumni weekend. If you have RSVP'd, I'll be emailing you today with details, if not and you'd like to come, please contact me ASAP and we'll get you involved in:
Friday - Watch practice (4:30pm) and men's match (3pm)
Saturday - Whitworth match (2pm) and Dinner (7pm)
Sunday - Fun Tennis Day (10am)
Happy spring!
John
heinj@whitman.edu
Monday, March 24, 2014
Spring Break Recap
Hello out there,
As I write this from the airport so much has happened since I last posted. First, I apologize, I had a SB2014 preview written up but never uploaded it; I guess having too much fun on court and on our trip is a good thing, but apologies for that.
This season is so exciting for us on the team. I really see us having turned a corner in how our program goes about our business. We strive to maintain the family atmosphere, support, sportsmanship and FUN that are hallmarks of WC Tennis. After two amazing seasons earning a national ranking and competing in NCAA's, we could have sat back and been satisfied or pushed on to see just how great we can be...guess what we chose.
Of course a group of talented, hard working, competitive young women would set our sights high. It's exactly what I want as a coach of a program that is pursuing the national championship. So, after showing our depth in conference rotating lineups, we were honored to get scheduled with some of the best programs in the country. On the trip we went 1-4, posting a convincing win against NAIA Biola, dropping three lopsided matches to top 10 teams but feeling so close that we can taste that level, and then having one knock down drag out match against a team at a very similar level to us with #30 Denison coming out ahead 6-3.
The match recaps can be found on our school webpage thanks to the outstanding work of Jordan Paden and writing by Roy Elia. What I want to share with you from this trip is a little insight into our family. I call it family because not only is the team family, but our parents, siblings, friends, aunts uncles, alums and everyone who is a part of our lives becomes a part of our team family. Our experience this week was amazing, we competed incredibly hard, played outstanding tennis, learned many lessons and had a ton of fun together. It would not have been nearly the success it was without our families. Thank you Annie and Bob Webster for unreal hospitality and match support. We also made a day up the coast and had so much fun with the Dobrin's, who also really brought the positive vibes to our matches. Anne Bell, Alice Allick and the whole Palkowitz family you guys were all amazing giving us a lift each day and making it feel like home on the road.
To walk you through the week, we finished midterms and powered our weary minds through two NWC victories on our lovely outdoor courts. With a day off we flew to California for a match with #7 Bowdoin. The Polar Bears were tough and deep, winning 9-0 with a huge highlight being Jenna's first set against a top 50 player. She couldn't quite pull out the tiebreak, but with Morgan out, Jenna stepped into the 2 spot and Erin into #3 and both played wonderfully. Maddy was our Whittie of the Match with intense high level doubles and great maturity and smarts in singles; she is also our most vocal supporter and we love her energy on court as much as her big shots.
After a day off, we started the first Hen Athena Classic in Claremont. Huge thanks to the CMS and PP coaches and players for opening up their facilities not just for dual matches, but for a tournament of dual matches. So, while there were not brackets and a ton of teams played over three days, there was a fun evening of food and coaches doubles (CPatt stepped up and we had so much fun playing) as well as sportswoman of the day awards and a championship for the team with the best winning percentage over the weekend.
We started with Denison on Friday. What a battle! We could have come out stronger in dubs, but they were really solid and Erin and Tree saved us a point at #2 to keep us in it, then spread out with the 6 singles and plenty of exhibitions, we started clawing our way back (pun intended) as CLaw took her match in straight sets to make it 2-2. Erin's opponent stepped up and put DU back up 3-2 with a straight set win and Allie was right in both sets losing 6-4,6-4 putting our backs against the wall 2-4. So, with Morgan, Jenna and Maddy each splitting sets, we knew we had a chance, but needed all three. The tennis on court 2 with Jenna was incredible and back and forth, Morgan looked strong to start her third going up 4-1; unfortunately, after an amazing second set from Maddy, Denison came back strong and clinched the match at #5. The remaining matches were split giving DU a 6-3 win. The match took almost 5 hours of hotly contested tennis. I hate to lose, but love these intense matches and am so impressed not just with the heart and character of our team, but also with the level of tennis! Lil Mo was awarded the sportswoman of the day for her amazing effort, playing through pain to win the longest match of the day, all while exhibiting the class and respect that we see each day. Congrats Morgan who was also our Whittie of the Match for her inspiring performance.
Saturday morning was a different story. Amherst is ranked #4, but is absolutely one of the top teams in the country. They were clinical in executing in both doubles and singles and it was a match we learned a lot from because we saw in them a more polished version of ourselves which will be motivating as we enter the home stretch of the season. Bouncing back from a tough day, Erin demonstrated amazing composure both with Tree in doubles and in singles not just fighting but starting to be able to change gears in matches but also trust her usual plays.
Sunday against Pomona Pitzer, we knew we were facing one of the top teams in the West who will challenge anyone in the country and had already defeated Bowdoin 5-4, Redlands 5-4 and #6 Middlebury 8-1. Undaunted, we came out with intensity and played a match that was much closer than the 8-1 score would indicate. Certainly, PP plays terrific doubles and carried that momentum into singles, but the tennis was so competitive and was highlighted by a wonderful match at #1 that Courtney pulled out in a third set match tie break. Seeing Courtney play her tennis is always so much fun to watch and this was a day where she wouldn't have gotten the win without really stepping up and she did that by executing the plays she has worked so hard on in practice. Courtney was our Whittie of the Match and Jenna was named Sportswoman of the day by the tournament committee for her high level of play, wonderful fight and unwavering positive and respectful spirit in intense situations. I'm so honored to have so many players who exhibit these qualities daily and to play with opponents who do the same.
The week was a great success and we are proud of what we accomplished but also remain hungry to improve and earn more matches with top teams because we know the breakthrough on the scoreboard is coming.
Thanks again to all of those who supported us from near and far, the families who helped keep us fed, housed and happy and the opponents who shared such wonderful competition with us.
We are off for a week and then host two home weekends and have one more road trip in our quest for a NWC title and to host the conference tournament (we are currently 6-0 in NWC play).
Best wishes to all!
Coach John
As I write this from the airport so much has happened since I last posted. First, I apologize, I had a SB2014 preview written up but never uploaded it; I guess having too much fun on court and on our trip is a good thing, but apologies for that.
This season is so exciting for us on the team. I really see us having turned a corner in how our program goes about our business. We strive to maintain the family atmosphere, support, sportsmanship and FUN that are hallmarks of WC Tennis. After two amazing seasons earning a national ranking and competing in NCAA's, we could have sat back and been satisfied or pushed on to see just how great we can be...guess what we chose.
Of course a group of talented, hard working, competitive young women would set our sights high. It's exactly what I want as a coach of a program that is pursuing the national championship. So, after showing our depth in conference rotating lineups, we were honored to get scheduled with some of the best programs in the country. On the trip we went 1-4, posting a convincing win against NAIA Biola, dropping three lopsided matches to top 10 teams but feeling so close that we can taste that level, and then having one knock down drag out match against a team at a very similar level to us with #30 Denison coming out ahead 6-3.
The match recaps can be found on our school webpage thanks to the outstanding work of Jordan Paden and writing by Roy Elia. What I want to share with you from this trip is a little insight into our family. I call it family because not only is the team family, but our parents, siblings, friends, aunts uncles, alums and everyone who is a part of our lives becomes a part of our team family. Our experience this week was amazing, we competed incredibly hard, played outstanding tennis, learned many lessons and had a ton of fun together. It would not have been nearly the success it was without our families. Thank you Annie and Bob Webster for unreal hospitality and match support. We also made a day up the coast and had so much fun with the Dobrin's, who also really brought the positive vibes to our matches. Anne Bell, Alice Allick and the whole Palkowitz family you guys were all amazing giving us a lift each day and making it feel like home on the road.
To walk you through the week, we finished midterms and powered our weary minds through two NWC victories on our lovely outdoor courts. With a day off we flew to California for a match with #7 Bowdoin. The Polar Bears were tough and deep, winning 9-0 with a huge highlight being Jenna's first set against a top 50 player. She couldn't quite pull out the tiebreak, but with Morgan out, Jenna stepped into the 2 spot and Erin into #3 and both played wonderfully. Maddy was our Whittie of the Match with intense high level doubles and great maturity and smarts in singles; she is also our most vocal supporter and we love her energy on court as much as her big shots.
After a day off, we started the first Hen Athena Classic in Claremont. Huge thanks to the CMS and PP coaches and players for opening up their facilities not just for dual matches, but for a tournament of dual matches. So, while there were not brackets and a ton of teams played over three days, there was a fun evening of food and coaches doubles (CPatt stepped up and we had so much fun playing) as well as sportswoman of the day awards and a championship for the team with the best winning percentage over the weekend.
We started with Denison on Friday. What a battle! We could have come out stronger in dubs, but they were really solid and Erin and Tree saved us a point at #2 to keep us in it, then spread out with the 6 singles and plenty of exhibitions, we started clawing our way back (pun intended) as CLaw took her match in straight sets to make it 2-2. Erin's opponent stepped up and put DU back up 3-2 with a straight set win and Allie was right in both sets losing 6-4,6-4 putting our backs against the wall 2-4. So, with Morgan, Jenna and Maddy each splitting sets, we knew we had a chance, but needed all three. The tennis on court 2 with Jenna was incredible and back and forth, Morgan looked strong to start her third going up 4-1; unfortunately, after an amazing second set from Maddy, Denison came back strong and clinched the match at #5. The remaining matches were split giving DU a 6-3 win. The match took almost 5 hours of hotly contested tennis. I hate to lose, but love these intense matches and am so impressed not just with the heart and character of our team, but also with the level of tennis! Lil Mo was awarded the sportswoman of the day for her amazing effort, playing through pain to win the longest match of the day, all while exhibiting the class and respect that we see each day. Congrats Morgan who was also our Whittie of the Match for her inspiring performance.
Saturday morning was a different story. Amherst is ranked #4, but is absolutely one of the top teams in the country. They were clinical in executing in both doubles and singles and it was a match we learned a lot from because we saw in them a more polished version of ourselves which will be motivating as we enter the home stretch of the season. Bouncing back from a tough day, Erin demonstrated amazing composure both with Tree in doubles and in singles not just fighting but starting to be able to change gears in matches but also trust her usual plays.
Sunday against Pomona Pitzer, we knew we were facing one of the top teams in the West who will challenge anyone in the country and had already defeated Bowdoin 5-4, Redlands 5-4 and #6 Middlebury 8-1. Undaunted, we came out with intensity and played a match that was much closer than the 8-1 score would indicate. Certainly, PP plays terrific doubles and carried that momentum into singles, but the tennis was so competitive and was highlighted by a wonderful match at #1 that Courtney pulled out in a third set match tie break. Seeing Courtney play her tennis is always so much fun to watch and this was a day where she wouldn't have gotten the win without really stepping up and she did that by executing the plays she has worked so hard on in practice. Courtney was our Whittie of the Match and Jenna was named Sportswoman of the day by the tournament committee for her high level of play, wonderful fight and unwavering positive and respectful spirit in intense situations. I'm so honored to have so many players who exhibit these qualities daily and to play with opponents who do the same.
The week was a great success and we are proud of what we accomplished but also remain hungry to improve and earn more matches with top teams because we know the breakthrough on the scoreboard is coming.
Thanks again to all of those who supported us from near and far, the families who helped keep us fed, housed and happy and the opponents who shared such wonderful competition with us.
We are off for a week and then host two home weekends and have one more road trip in our quest for a NWC title and to host the conference tournament (we are currently 6-0 in NWC play).
Best wishes to all!
Coach John
Monday, March 10, 2014
Rolling along in Conference and Getting Ready for SB 2k14
We have had a wonderful start to our conference season. The Northwest conference has definitely gotten tougher and deeper over the 6 seasons I've been at Whitman. When I assistant coached at UC Santa Cruz from 1999-2003, Linfield was tops in the NWC with Whitman, Whitworth, UPS, PLU and Willamette all close behind. So, if you could get a match with one of them and beat them, you pretty much stayed above the NWC.
Now, it's great to see our teams winning out of conference, improving our regional rankings and representing at NCAA's and in the national rankings. Last year was a wonderful ascencion to the forefront of the pack and as we fought our way into the national top 20 and have stayed there (currently #16 after close losses to #5 CMS and #14 LaVerne), the team is really taking each match as a challenge to be a top team nationally in every respect of the game. So, if that is losing a tough but wonderfully intense and well played match vs LaVerne, coming out on top of a thrilling 5-4 match with Linfield, or playing the ultra dominant tennis we did against a solid George Fox and a rebuilding Lewis and Clark team a week ago, we work hard to maintain our attitude, focus and intensity.
I can't say enough how hard it is in athletics when you're up on the scoreboard or the match is decided to do this, and the way we've practiced and played our 4 NWC matches (4-0 baby!), I couldn't be prouder of the weekly improvement this team is showing.
So, we thoroughly enjoyed a weekend off while our men hosted a wonderful quad of dual matches with #4 CMS, #8 Trinity (TX), #12 UC Santa Cruz. Hats off to all these great men's teams for demonstrating not just a high level of tennis but also wonderful sportsmanship and comraderie in combining intensity with respect the way sports are meant to be played. Huge kudos to our Whitman Men on taking down my alma mater UCSC today, hanging tough with arguably the best team in D3 (CMS) and going down to the wire in a 4-5 barnburner with Trinity. Coach Jeff Northam is a wonderful guiding light for all Whitman athletics and we are proud to share courts with him and his guys, what a terrific weekend Jeff.
The guys also warmed up our BRAND NEW outdoor courts with the first dual matches there, beating NWC contender Pacific and playing CMS in front of our wonderful home fans who line the courts with the great energy that flows from the Whitman community.
We hope to continue building that energy this weekend as we take on regional #17 PLU (5-0 on the season so far!) Friday at 4pm and then regional #16 UPS (3-1 so far) Saturday at 1pm, followed immediately by a tilt with Bellevue Community college.
It's a terrific opportunity to get tough conference matches and set our minds towards Spring Break in CA where we have our best schedule possibly ever, and it will also allow us to give everyone meaningful matches so I couldn't be more excited.
Enjoy the week and thanks for supporting and following WhitWomen's Tennis!
Coach John
Now, it's great to see our teams winning out of conference, improving our regional rankings and representing at NCAA's and in the national rankings. Last year was a wonderful ascencion to the forefront of the pack and as we fought our way into the national top 20 and have stayed there (currently #16 after close losses to #5 CMS and #14 LaVerne), the team is really taking each match as a challenge to be a top team nationally in every respect of the game. So, if that is losing a tough but wonderfully intense and well played match vs LaVerne, coming out on top of a thrilling 5-4 match with Linfield, or playing the ultra dominant tennis we did against a solid George Fox and a rebuilding Lewis and Clark team a week ago, we work hard to maintain our attitude, focus and intensity.
I can't say enough how hard it is in athletics when you're up on the scoreboard or the match is decided to do this, and the way we've practiced and played our 4 NWC matches (4-0 baby!), I couldn't be prouder of the weekly improvement this team is showing.
So, we thoroughly enjoyed a weekend off while our men hosted a wonderful quad of dual matches with #4 CMS, #8 Trinity (TX), #12 UC Santa Cruz. Hats off to all these great men's teams for demonstrating not just a high level of tennis but also wonderful sportsmanship and comraderie in combining intensity with respect the way sports are meant to be played. Huge kudos to our Whitman Men on taking down my alma mater UCSC today, hanging tough with arguably the best team in D3 (CMS) and going down to the wire in a 4-5 barnburner with Trinity. Coach Jeff Northam is a wonderful guiding light for all Whitman athletics and we are proud to share courts with him and his guys, what a terrific weekend Jeff.
The guys also warmed up our BRAND NEW outdoor courts with the first dual matches there, beating NWC contender Pacific and playing CMS in front of our wonderful home fans who line the courts with the great energy that flows from the Whitman community.
We hope to continue building that energy this weekend as we take on regional #17 PLU (5-0 on the season so far!) Friday at 4pm and then regional #16 UPS (3-1 so far) Saturday at 1pm, followed immediately by a tilt with Bellevue Community college.
It's a terrific opportunity to get tough conference matches and set our minds towards Spring Break in CA where we have our best schedule possibly ever, and it will also allow us to give everyone meaningful matches so I couldn't be more excited.
Enjoy the week and thanks for supporting and following WhitWomen's Tennis!
Coach John
Friday, February 28, 2014
Matches in Portland This Weekend
Just a quick note that we have two matches in Portland this weekend!
Sat 3/1 at George Fox in Newberg 11am (if dry) -
*if wet we will start at 12:30 at Tualatin Hills Parks and Rec on Walker Road in Beaverton
Sun 3/2 at Lewis and Clark College 10am
If you're in the area, come on out (or in) and show your Whittie pride! If you're in Walla Walla, watch some baseball or enjoy our #1 nationally ranked women's basketball team in the NWC tournament final vs Whitworth as they look to qualify for NCAA's!
Sat 3/1 at George Fox in Newberg 11am (if dry) -
*if wet we will start at 12:30 at Tualatin Hills Parks and Rec on Walker Road in Beaverton
Sun 3/2 at Lewis and Clark College 10am
If you're in the area, come on out (or in) and show your Whittie pride! If you're in Walla Walla, watch some baseball or enjoy our #1 nationally ranked women's basketball team in the NWC tournament final vs Whitworth as they look to qualify for NCAA's!
Monday, February 24, 2014
Busy Busy Busy....Love Love Loving It!
Hi everyone,
Whoa, there is so much to talk about this time of year so I'm sure I'll forget some things. First, I want to get some thank you's out there. We hosted two home weekends here and everyone from our families, the campus and the Walla Walla community who came to support us (and our opponents) helped create a wonderful, positive exciting atmosphere for college tennis. We want to thank you all, it means so much to have fans. Speaking of fans, I know some of you were able to watch the matches livestreamed online. This could not have happened without generous financial support, the wild genius of Men's Coach Jeff Northam and hard work from Dena Wessel, Brian Griffith, Kyle Singer, the WCTS crew of Mike and Kevin and Jordan Paden here at Whitman. We are still in the infancy/testing stages, but I have heard from some of you that you were able to watch matches which is terrific!
Going back to the exciting environment, we started our Northwest Conference title defense carrying the excitement from the Winter Classic with a down the wire 5-4 win over perennial rival Linfield. We came out strong in doubles, taking 2 or 3 plus a great win by Liv and Seana at 4; but the sweep was averted by a tough Linfield #1 team who squeaked out an 8-6 win over Courtney and Erin. When you look at the box scores, you'll see lots of lineup tinkering by me and having players with the talent, focus and love of each other to switch things up, adjust for school, illness or injury and not miss a beat is something that just reinforces to me what a special team we have this year.
Going back to that scoresheet, up 2-1, Erin rebounded from the tough doubles loss by controlling baseline rallies but also playing defense when necessary and building really solid offensive points in a quick 2 set win to put us up 3-1. On the other end of Bratton, Katrina struggled to find consistency and her opponent took advantage playing the best match I've ever seen from her to close the gap to 3-2. Playing one of the top players in conference, Courtney showed why she is the defending NWC player of the year with a convincing win that put us up 4-2 on the brink of victory. With Morgan resting a strained muscle, Jenna stepped in at #2 and had a tough time but battled like a champ, inspiring Seana and Hannah who went on next to her. Seana fought well in losing, but where before we saw glimpses of her best tennis, she is quickly maturing into a wonderful singles player to go along with her big doubles game. But the day rightly belonged to Hannah. The senior has been so good with her habits physically, mentally and in putting in extra work on her shots. She prepares as well as anyone we have and in a close match, she brings it. Her opponent was also super tough mentally but Hannah found ways to win points, sometimes long grinding ones, other times being aggressive, but always fighting with huge heart. at 3-4 with everyone watching, she secured a huge hold, then broke and held strongly to elate the team and give us a huge 5-4 win.
Today was also the day we honored Courtney as a member of the Whitman Century Club. Her accomplishments on court are many as she will finish this season as a 5 time (3 doubles 2 singles) all-American and she hit the century mark during NCAA's her sophomore year which is ridiculous. Currently, her Whitman record is at 128-40 (76%) which places her already among the best in program history. And by the way, she is still ultra hungry to keep improving...watch out.
Oh, there is so much more, as Willamette came to town Saturday. Again, mixing things up, a big highlight was Katrina and Erin winning at #1 doubles as we rested the twins. They defeated one of the top teams in conference who had the day before won at Whitworth who have a great #1 doubles team. Allie, who has been patiently working back from a wrist injury, finally got on court and won freshman doubles with Seana 8-0 and also scored a double bagel in singles at #5. Liv was also dominant at #6, winning 6-0,6-1 but more than the scoreline, she was moving super well around the court and played smart the whole time. Katrina, Hannah and Courtney also contributed big wins in our 8-1 victory to go 2-0 in Conference play.
Wanting to squeeze every bit of fun from the weekend we drove up to Cheney and Chelsea enjoyed a homecoming to her alma mater (class of 2013) at Eastern WA. Last time we came, C Patt won both her matches en route to a 7-0 EWU win. This time, the young Eagles team came out fast in doubles, getting the point even with some solid play from us. Then, in singles, Courtney and Morgan ran into hot players playing their best while Jenna and Erin battled hard in straight set losses. So, with the match decided, our team proved that we fight for every ball and do it together all the way. With Hannah dominating at #6 and Katrina stepping up in a back and forth battle to win the match tie break, we closed the gap to 5-2 (doubles is one point in D1 tennis) and came away not only with a fun level of tennis and some great experience, but a tangible benchmark of our teams improvement.
This week will be fun to get some practices in, rededicate ourselves to fitness and prepare for a road trip to Portland to play George Fox and Lewis and Clark.
George Fox is Saturday at 11am at GFU unless it rains and then we have courts at Tualatin Hills Parks and Rec Tennis Center in Beaverton at 12pm (est. 12:30 start).
Lewis and Clark is a 10am Sunday start and is a rematch of last years NWC tournament final. The Pios have had trouble in the young season but are still a well coached program with a lot of talent, so we'll be ready for both teams to bring their best!
If you're in the Portland area, we'd love to see you at the matches!
Sincerely,
Coach John
Whoa, there is so much to talk about this time of year so I'm sure I'll forget some things. First, I want to get some thank you's out there. We hosted two home weekends here and everyone from our families, the campus and the Walla Walla community who came to support us (and our opponents) helped create a wonderful, positive exciting atmosphere for college tennis. We want to thank you all, it means so much to have fans. Speaking of fans, I know some of you were able to watch the matches livestreamed online. This could not have happened without generous financial support, the wild genius of Men's Coach Jeff Northam and hard work from Dena Wessel, Brian Griffith, Kyle Singer, the WCTS crew of Mike and Kevin and Jordan Paden here at Whitman. We are still in the infancy/testing stages, but I have heard from some of you that you were able to watch matches which is terrific!
Going back to the exciting environment, we started our Northwest Conference title defense carrying the excitement from the Winter Classic with a down the wire 5-4 win over perennial rival Linfield. We came out strong in doubles, taking 2 or 3 plus a great win by Liv and Seana at 4; but the sweep was averted by a tough Linfield #1 team who squeaked out an 8-6 win over Courtney and Erin. When you look at the box scores, you'll see lots of lineup tinkering by me and having players with the talent, focus and love of each other to switch things up, adjust for school, illness or injury and not miss a beat is something that just reinforces to me what a special team we have this year.
Going back to that scoresheet, up 2-1, Erin rebounded from the tough doubles loss by controlling baseline rallies but also playing defense when necessary and building really solid offensive points in a quick 2 set win to put us up 3-1. On the other end of Bratton, Katrina struggled to find consistency and her opponent took advantage playing the best match I've ever seen from her to close the gap to 3-2. Playing one of the top players in conference, Courtney showed why she is the defending NWC player of the year with a convincing win that put us up 4-2 on the brink of victory. With Morgan resting a strained muscle, Jenna stepped in at #2 and had a tough time but battled like a champ, inspiring Seana and Hannah who went on next to her. Seana fought well in losing, but where before we saw glimpses of her best tennis, she is quickly maturing into a wonderful singles player to go along with her big doubles game. But the day rightly belonged to Hannah. The senior has been so good with her habits physically, mentally and in putting in extra work on her shots. She prepares as well as anyone we have and in a close match, she brings it. Her opponent was also super tough mentally but Hannah found ways to win points, sometimes long grinding ones, other times being aggressive, but always fighting with huge heart. at 3-4 with everyone watching, she secured a huge hold, then broke and held strongly to elate the team and give us a huge 5-4 win.
Today was also the day we honored Courtney as a member of the Whitman Century Club. Her accomplishments on court are many as she will finish this season as a 5 time (3 doubles 2 singles) all-American and she hit the century mark during NCAA's her sophomore year which is ridiculous. Currently, her Whitman record is at 128-40 (76%) which places her already among the best in program history. And by the way, she is still ultra hungry to keep improving...watch out.
 |
| 100 wins for Whitman ...and counting! |
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| We surprised Courtney with the Banner presentation! |
Oh, there is so much more, as Willamette came to town Saturday. Again, mixing things up, a big highlight was Katrina and Erin winning at #1 doubles as we rested the twins. They defeated one of the top teams in conference who had the day before won at Whitworth who have a great #1 doubles team. Allie, who has been patiently working back from a wrist injury, finally got on court and won freshman doubles with Seana 8-0 and also scored a double bagel in singles at #5. Liv was also dominant at #6, winning 6-0,6-1 but more than the scoreline, she was moving super well around the court and played smart the whole time. Katrina, Hannah and Courtney also contributed big wins in our 8-1 victory to go 2-0 in Conference play.
Wanting to squeeze every bit of fun from the weekend we drove up to Cheney and Chelsea enjoyed a homecoming to her alma mater (class of 2013) at Eastern WA. Last time we came, C Patt won both her matches en route to a 7-0 EWU win. This time, the young Eagles team came out fast in doubles, getting the point even with some solid play from us. Then, in singles, Courtney and Morgan ran into hot players playing their best while Jenna and Erin battled hard in straight set losses. So, with the match decided, our team proved that we fight for every ball and do it together all the way. With Hannah dominating at #6 and Katrina stepping up in a back and forth battle to win the match tie break, we closed the gap to 5-2 (doubles is one point in D1 tennis) and came away not only with a fun level of tennis and some great experience, but a tangible benchmark of our teams improvement.
This week will be fun to get some practices in, rededicate ourselves to fitness and prepare for a road trip to Portland to play George Fox and Lewis and Clark.
George Fox is Saturday at 11am at GFU unless it rains and then we have courts at Tualatin Hills Parks and Rec Tennis Center in Beaverton at 12pm (est. 12:30 start).
Lewis and Clark is a 10am Sunday start and is a rematch of last years NWC tournament final. The Pios have had trouble in the young season but are still a well coached program with a lot of talent, so we'll be ready for both teams to bring their best!
If you're in the Portland area, we'd love to see you at the matches!
Sincerely,
Coach John
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Whitman Family, Friend and Alumni Tennis Weekend Announced
Friends, Families and Alums,
The results are in and the decision has been made: the 2014 Whitman Women's Tennis Family, Friends, and Alumni Weekend will be April 11th - 13th!
Please save the date and start making your travel plans. Of course, don't sweat it if you are unable to make it out to Walla Walla for this particular weekend, but plan on supporting the team at other matches. Your support is always greatly appreciated (especially down in SoCal for our spring break trip)!
While we are still working out the details, the schedule as stands includes the 2 pm match against Whitworth on Saturday (warm-up at 1 pm) and a dinner that night. Please confirm your attendance for dinner numbers, and let us know if you would be interested in participating in any family/friend/alumni tennis on Sunday!
If you're looking for a place to stay in Walla Walla, the NW Conference does have a partnership with Red Lion Hotels which recently bought the hotel close to downtown and campus. To make a reservation, log onto www.redlion.com and use the promotion code NW2 for a 10% discounted rate. If you have any other travel or event questions, don't hesitate to contact me at heinj@whitman.edu.
Hope to see you in April!
Sunday, February 16, 2014
The Winter Classic...A Battle in Bratton
Hi everyone,
Today really kicked off the main part of our Spring dual match season and it was a barnburner with La Verne. If you look at rankings, we came in favored as the #16 team nationally and La Verne was #28, but preseason rankings are from last year so I figured this one would come down to a few points here or there. The team did just about all we could to get things to fall our way, but in the end fell to a great team 5-4.
The match started with tremendous energy. We played a 4th doubles and the freshman/senior combo of Seana and Hannah were both efficient making balls and simple plays as well as ruthless finishing shots as they rolled to an 8-1 win. Next to them, Tree and Erin at #2 just played really solid doubles, starting off with a break of serve and rolling to an 8-3 win. These two do a great job playing off of each others shots and against a tough opponent they were also covering the court extremely well extending points and turning defense into offense...it was a great testament to the footwork and fitness we've practiced. The trend continued at #3 with Jenna and Maddy showing huge emotion at the right times winning the key games to win 8-4 and put us up. The lead was slim though with Courtney and Morgan facing a dynamic and loose team at 1 doubles who got a lead and held on even when the twins stepped it up.
So, we had that energy you want going into singles needing a split and with 4 matches on, we knew it was a battle with Court, Jenna and Tree dropping their first set but Morgan winning hers. Each match turned with Morgan and Tree going to a third set and Courtney having points to go up 5-4 and Jenna up 5-2 before long long hard fought games ended in straight set Leopard victories. Now down 3-2 and in third sets we felt good as Erin took the court at #5 and quickly got up 3-0. Maddy was pumped to go on at #6 while Mo and Tree fought. Morgan's set was a war every game with smart play and huge shots from both players. Tree was down a break 1-4 but fought back to serve for the match 5-4 while Morgan was at 5-5. It was intense and thrilling to see Tree fight back so hard and for Morgan to battle one of the better #2 players in the West Region. I have to give tons of credit to LaVerne as their players stepped up to hit key shots and two winnable matches went away. Even with Erin holding on to win the first set then steamroll the second and Maddy rocking her singles it wasn't enough. I've been in a lot of college tennis matches and these are the ones you feel the most, the most joy, the most pain, but as a coach if you can look at your team, feel their support and love for each other and know they left everything they had on the court, you feel very proud.
This makes what Erin, Maddy and Olivia at #7 did even more special, to know the match is over but to dig in and pull out matches shows how these players only know one way to play...tough. This match will sting in our ranking, but it is still February and as we start the Northwest Conference season at home this Friday and Saturday, it is so cool to see that we've applied many of the lessons from our Hawaii trip and so now we can turn to how we crank it up one more notch. I'm sure we'll enjoy a day off tomorrow and be ready to hit the courts again Tuesday getting ready for perennial conference contender Linfield.
The atmosphere in Bratton was so fun today, we had family, friends, community members, students, staff and profs as these two great teams went head to head. Coach Jeff was instrumental in getting some tennis streamed live and Coach CPatt was on point all day, way to go Chels! Thanks so much to those of you who came out, especially if you made the trip to come here. The winter classic was a great success and your support means so much as we LOVE playing on our home courts.
Happy Presidents Day and a huge birthday shout out to Jenna!
Coach John
Today really kicked off the main part of our Spring dual match season and it was a barnburner with La Verne. If you look at rankings, we came in favored as the #16 team nationally and La Verne was #28, but preseason rankings are from last year so I figured this one would come down to a few points here or there. The team did just about all we could to get things to fall our way, but in the end fell to a great team 5-4.
The match started with tremendous energy. We played a 4th doubles and the freshman/senior combo of Seana and Hannah were both efficient making balls and simple plays as well as ruthless finishing shots as they rolled to an 8-1 win. Next to them, Tree and Erin at #2 just played really solid doubles, starting off with a break of serve and rolling to an 8-3 win. These two do a great job playing off of each others shots and against a tough opponent they were also covering the court extremely well extending points and turning defense into offense...it was a great testament to the footwork and fitness we've practiced. The trend continued at #3 with Jenna and Maddy showing huge emotion at the right times winning the key games to win 8-4 and put us up. The lead was slim though with Courtney and Morgan facing a dynamic and loose team at 1 doubles who got a lead and held on even when the twins stepped it up.
So, we had that energy you want going into singles needing a split and with 4 matches on, we knew it was a battle with Court, Jenna and Tree dropping their first set but Morgan winning hers. Each match turned with Morgan and Tree going to a third set and Courtney having points to go up 5-4 and Jenna up 5-2 before long long hard fought games ended in straight set Leopard victories. Now down 3-2 and in third sets we felt good as Erin took the court at #5 and quickly got up 3-0. Maddy was pumped to go on at #6 while Mo and Tree fought. Morgan's set was a war every game with smart play and huge shots from both players. Tree was down a break 1-4 but fought back to serve for the match 5-4 while Morgan was at 5-5. It was intense and thrilling to see Tree fight back so hard and for Morgan to battle one of the better #2 players in the West Region. I have to give tons of credit to LaVerne as their players stepped up to hit key shots and two winnable matches went away. Even with Erin holding on to win the first set then steamroll the second and Maddy rocking her singles it wasn't enough. I've been in a lot of college tennis matches and these are the ones you feel the most, the most joy, the most pain, but as a coach if you can look at your team, feel their support and love for each other and know they left everything they had on the court, you feel very proud.
This makes what Erin, Maddy and Olivia at #7 did even more special, to know the match is over but to dig in and pull out matches shows how these players only know one way to play...tough. This match will sting in our ranking, but it is still February and as we start the Northwest Conference season at home this Friday and Saturday, it is so cool to see that we've applied many of the lessons from our Hawaii trip and so now we can turn to how we crank it up one more notch. I'm sure we'll enjoy a day off tomorrow and be ready to hit the courts again Tuesday getting ready for perennial conference contender Linfield.
The atmosphere in Bratton was so fun today, we had family, friends, community members, students, staff and profs as these two great teams went head to head. Coach Jeff was instrumental in getting some tennis streamed live and Coach CPatt was on point all day, way to go Chels! Thanks so much to those of you who came out, especially if you made the trip to come here. The winter classic was a great success and your support means so much as we LOVE playing on our home courts.
Happy Presidents Day and a huge birthday shout out to Jenna!
Coach John
Saturday, February 15, 2014
The Classic is Here
No, not the Olympic Games in Sochi, its the annual Whitman Women's Tennis Winter Classic.
It started today with University of LaVerne defeating the Pioneers of Lewis and Clark. The score is 7-0 as I write and the depleted Pio's will surely gain strength as the season continues and they get some players back.
However, LaVerne, ranked #28 preseason has taken care of business in their two matches so far, also taking advantage of a UC Santa Cruz team that lost some key players from last years #14 ranked team.
It should be a terrific match and we are pioneering livestreaming.
We are using livestream.com, and it is a free service for us but you must make an account.
Each court will have a separate account so if you open windows with all of them, you can switch court to court (I'm still working a scoreboard, but will update the @coachhein twitter feed at the very least).
The links are:
Court 1 is called WCTennis Court 1 and the link is
http://new.livestream.com/accounts/7192952
Court 2 is called WCTennis Court 2 and the link is
http://new.livestream.com/accounts/7192971
Court 3 is called WCTennis Court 3 and the link is
http://new.livestream.com/accounts/7193039
Court 4 is called WCTennis Court 4 and the link is
http://new.livestream.com/accounts/7194245
If any feeds go down or you have questions, we may or may not be able to fix them, but you can leave a comment or reply to a tweet, if you text me I may or may not see it or be able to do anything, it is test phase still, but we're really excited.
It started today with University of LaVerne defeating the Pioneers of Lewis and Clark. The score is 7-0 as I write and the depleted Pio's will surely gain strength as the season continues and they get some players back.
However, LaVerne, ranked #28 preseason has taken care of business in their two matches so far, also taking advantage of a UC Santa Cruz team that lost some key players from last years #14 ranked team.
It should be a terrific match and we are pioneering livestreaming.
We are using livestream.com, and it is a free service for us but you must make an account.
Each court will have a separate account so if you open windows with all of them, you can switch court to court (I'm still working a scoreboard, but will update the @coachhein twitter feed at the very least).
The links are:
Court 1 is called WCTennis Court 1 and the link is
http://new.livestream.com/accounts/7192952
Court 2 is called WCTennis Court 2 and the link is
http://new.livestream.com/accounts/7192971
Court 3 is called WCTennis Court 3 and the link is
http://new.livestream.com/accounts/7193039
Court 4 is called WCTennis Court 4 and the link is
http://new.livestream.com/accounts/7194245
If any feeds go down or you have questions, we may or may not be able to fix them, but you can leave a comment or reply to a tweet, if you text me I may or may not see it or be able to do anything, it is test phase still, but we're really excited.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Catching up from Walla Walla
Hi everyone,
I'll make this quick as the days are flying by here. After a wonderful trip to Hawaii, the team came back to start the semester and carry our momentum from the trip.
We've absolutely done that with some terrific practice weeks and outstanding work to improve our fitness and mental toughness. I am so proud of how committed the team is to getting better and each day it feels more and more like a veteran group who knows what they want and how to work to get it.
This was evidenced in one of the most complete performances I've seen as we defeated #7 in NAIA Lewis and Clark State College (ID). LCSC was missing some key players and we rested Katrina who was recovering from a mild muscle pull, so I'm sure the next time we face them it will be another tough battle, but on this day, I couldn't be more proud of how we competed, regardless of the score.
Fortunately, the hard work and positive attitudes paid off and we were able to come through on the scoreboard, you can read about the match here. With so many outstanding performances, Allie and Hannah were co-Whitties of the Match with Allie showing how to get ahead and put her opponents away clinically and Hannah demonstrating the poise and fight of a battle tested senior coming back from 1-6,2-5 to win in a match tie break.
I'm hoping to get one more blog out this week with a preview of this weekends annual Whitman Winter Classic. This year we just have one match, but its a big one with regionally and nationally ranked LaVerne coming up from California.
Also, as we've been playing, we've had a few Whitties of the Week, so check out their links on the blog!
Best,
Coach John
I'll make this quick as the days are flying by here. After a wonderful trip to Hawaii, the team came back to start the semester and carry our momentum from the trip.
We've absolutely done that with some terrific practice weeks and outstanding work to improve our fitness and mental toughness. I am so proud of how committed the team is to getting better and each day it feels more and more like a veteran group who knows what they want and how to work to get it.
This was evidenced in one of the most complete performances I've seen as we defeated #7 in NAIA Lewis and Clark State College (ID). LCSC was missing some key players and we rested Katrina who was recovering from a mild muscle pull, so I'm sure the next time we face them it will be another tough battle, but on this day, I couldn't be more proud of how we competed, regardless of the score.
Fortunately, the hard work and positive attitudes paid off and we were able to come through on the scoreboard, you can read about the match here. With so many outstanding performances, Allie and Hannah were co-Whitties of the Match with Allie showing how to get ahead and put her opponents away clinically and Hannah demonstrating the poise and fight of a battle tested senior coming back from 1-6,2-5 to win in a match tie break.
I'm hoping to get one more blog out this week with a preview of this weekends annual Whitman Winter Classic. This year we just have one match, but its a big one with regionally and nationally ranked LaVerne coming up from California.
Also, as we've been playing, we've had a few Whitties of the Week, so check out their links on the blog!
Best,
Coach John
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Hawai'i Trip
Hello everyone,
Not only has the new year started, but we are already looking at the end of January, wow how time flies when you're having fun. And fun is exactly what we're having here at Whitman. We started our season early with a trip we plan to do every 4 years to Hawai'i in January. Our goals were to set the tone for our season with our training and match play but also to have a lot of fun and bring the team even closer together.
I can easily say we achieved our goals. The team is so good at getting down to business on the court but always enjoying every moment off court. If its possible we took this to another level, playing 4 matches in a week and getting in some great fitness and fun too.
We started off meeting in Portland where the flights are direct to Honolulu. This was also the first time we saw Maddy after her semester abroad studying art and culture in Copenhagen. She flexed her leadership muscle right away as we went from the airport straight to costco to buy food for the week. Maddy organized everyone into teams that would shop for different meals and we were in and out in about 30 minutes which is probably a costco record for buying a weeks worth of food for 13 people! That same day we got in a solid practice and made a great balanced dinner back at the rental house we were in.
So, with finals, then winter break and one practice under our belts we took on the #4 ranked team in D2 in Hawaii Pacific University. This was a great first match because we got 4 doubles and 8 singles. There was definitely some rust but we competed really well and didn't look like a team who had just been on break, I'm really proud of everyone for keeping up their fitness and tennis over the fall and break. Of note were Jenna and Courtney going the distance before each losing a 3rd set match tie break.
The next day we got right back to work driving up to the north shore to BYU Hawaii. The courts were spread out about a block apart so it was tough to watch everyone, but we played a 4 doubles and 9 singles matches against the #2 team in D2, what a way to get our season going! I think we played better today than vs HPU, but BYU was just a bit better up and down the lineup and we had great points and games and fought everywhere, but their talent level is as good as we'll see. In doubles, HP and Allie were close at 4, losing in a breaker and both of them had long hard fought straight set singles losses. There is a lot to learn from a team this good but the message from the team to me was that they came on this trip to play and leave it on the court, which was awesome.
It would have been wonderful to reward them with a win the next day vs our final D2 opponent of the trip in Chaminade. Coming in unranked and with only 5 players, I decided it was important to rest some players as well as give some valuable match experience, so I mixed up the lineup. In that sense, the 5-4 loss is on me as I didn't play our straight up lineup, but by the match coming down two these final points, we saw so much that was a win for us. We saw Maddy and Jenna emerge as a force in doubles as their movement and chemistry at #2 was awesome. Seana and Allie continued to get college match experience which will benefit us going into the conference season and Liv was terrific at #5, locking down a straight set win. What was so great was to get Tree and Erin big matches versus really solid players at #1 and #2. I loved seeing each of them settle in and fight back to win their second sets. While each lost a tough third set, both are players who can make a huge impact on our success and it is so valuable to be in these situations.
We had a wonderful day off with some rest, a solid efficient practice and a boat trip snorkeling where the team swam with sea turtles! After a trip to the historical site at Pearl Harbor, we met up with alum Lizzy who came over from her teaching job on the big island. What a fun surprise and a validation of just how much the relationships built in college tennis mean to see Lizzy for our last couple days.
She was there along with Reed, Mark and Sandy to cheer us on Saturday in the big showdown of the week. It was #4 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps vs #16 Whitman and while there was a friendly fun spirit of aloha at Central Oahu Regional Park, there was no shortage of intensity on the courts. Doubles went as doubles so often do with Courtney and Morgan starting well but running into a hot CMS team to lose at #1. At #3, Jenna and Maddy continued their momentum, scoring a huge win to tie it up 1-1. Erin and Tree were down a break fighting a team that is super tough from the baseline. The match had been full of service holds, but in the end, three service breaks gave the proset and the 2-1 lead to CMS.
In singles, the courts were split up in 2's and so were the matches. Erin bounced back from the tough doubles by getting back to her competitive self and controlling her shots, emotions and opponent in a straight set win at #5. Next to her, Allie was in one of those matches where she was doing the right things and was incredibly close to turning the match on its head, but all credit to her opponent for not flinching or giving an inch; her loss at #6 had CMS up 3-2. On the next bank of 2 courts, Morgan found similar struggles against the lethal groundies of her first year opponent losing 6-1, 6-3 at #2. Courtney also played an aggressive baseliner, but found a way to exert her game and came away with a very impressive 6-4, 6-1 win to make the score 4-3 CMS. Across the park our sophomores battled and unfortunately the pattern remained, with one match looking to go to each team. Katrina is developing her singles so rapidly, and it seemed every day in Hawaii was a new lesson she took home, though she lost and didn't play her best tennis, I am so proud of how she represented us with a huge heart and big fight. Speaking of big fight, Jenna dropped the first set and really got her groove going, taking the second. With the match decided, they played a match breaker for the third, which was close all the way and really came down to both players playing great with CMS earning a 10-8 win.
So, the match was 6-3, but along with being mere points from beating a top 5 team, we showed our improved depth. This is the first year I've had a team that could take on anyone in the country and we all feel points can come from any spot in doubles or singles. Even better, on our last day playing in Hawaii, we got a 4th doubles where Hannah and Allie continued to play very solid tennis and everyone played a singles match with Maddy continuing her quick re-entry to tennis with a match like Jenna's that came down to a razor thin match tie break. Mags, Liv and Seana each played a set and HP demonstrated her much improved serve and baseline play.
This trip was such a success. We had a ton of fun, created memories to last a lifetime and bonds to make us tougher this season. It was a week on an island paradise, but far more than a vacation, this team enjoyed the process of focusing on tennis and improving each day so we can work to be the best team any of us have ever been on. What a wonderful opportunity we have and I have to thank Jeff Northam, Tom Sawatzki and Greg Patton (Chelsea's dad!) because if it weren't for their amazing work at the Whitman Tennis and Wine Camps, we wouldn't have had the money to make the trip. Speaking of Patton's, Chelsea was AMAZING in her first year coaching she was a steady and reliable guide, a terrific coach and her wonderful energetic self. We wouldn't have had such an amazing time without you C Patt!
I'm always amazed by the support of our friends, families and alums and along with Lizzy we were visited by the Otto's and got to spend some really fun time with Reed, Mark and Sandy who were huge support in our matches, thank you all!
I know this was long post, but it was an epic trip. I'll be more brief next time, which will be very soon as we have LOTS going on back at school and practice and getting ready for our next match Sunday February 3rd at noon in Lewiston, Idaho versus a top NAIA team in Lewis Clark State College.
Aloha,
John
Not only has the new year started, but we are already looking at the end of January, wow how time flies when you're having fun. And fun is exactly what we're having here at Whitman. We started our season early with a trip we plan to do every 4 years to Hawai'i in January. Our goals were to set the tone for our season with our training and match play but also to have a lot of fun and bring the team even closer together.
I can easily say we achieved our goals. The team is so good at getting down to business on the court but always enjoying every moment off court. If its possible we took this to another level, playing 4 matches in a week and getting in some great fitness and fun too.
We started off meeting in Portland where the flights are direct to Honolulu. This was also the first time we saw Maddy after her semester abroad studying art and culture in Copenhagen. She flexed her leadership muscle right away as we went from the airport straight to costco to buy food for the week. Maddy organized everyone into teams that would shop for different meals and we were in and out in about 30 minutes which is probably a costco record for buying a weeks worth of food for 13 people! That same day we got in a solid practice and made a great balanced dinner back at the rental house we were in.
So, with finals, then winter break and one practice under our belts we took on the #4 ranked team in D2 in Hawaii Pacific University. This was a great first match because we got 4 doubles and 8 singles. There was definitely some rust but we competed really well and didn't look like a team who had just been on break, I'm really proud of everyone for keeping up their fitness and tennis over the fall and break. Of note were Jenna and Courtney going the distance before each losing a 3rd set match tie break.
The next day we got right back to work driving up to the north shore to BYU Hawaii. The courts were spread out about a block apart so it was tough to watch everyone, but we played a 4 doubles and 9 singles matches against the #2 team in D2, what a way to get our season going! I think we played better today than vs HPU, but BYU was just a bit better up and down the lineup and we had great points and games and fought everywhere, but their talent level is as good as we'll see. In doubles, HP and Allie were close at 4, losing in a breaker and both of them had long hard fought straight set singles losses. There is a lot to learn from a team this good but the message from the team to me was that they came on this trip to play and leave it on the court, which was awesome.
It would have been wonderful to reward them with a win the next day vs our final D2 opponent of the trip in Chaminade. Coming in unranked and with only 5 players, I decided it was important to rest some players as well as give some valuable match experience, so I mixed up the lineup. In that sense, the 5-4 loss is on me as I didn't play our straight up lineup, but by the match coming down two these final points, we saw so much that was a win for us. We saw Maddy and Jenna emerge as a force in doubles as their movement and chemistry at #2 was awesome. Seana and Allie continued to get college match experience which will benefit us going into the conference season and Liv was terrific at #5, locking down a straight set win. What was so great was to get Tree and Erin big matches versus really solid players at #1 and #2. I loved seeing each of them settle in and fight back to win their second sets. While each lost a tough third set, both are players who can make a huge impact on our success and it is so valuable to be in these situations.
We had a wonderful day off with some rest, a solid efficient practice and a boat trip snorkeling where the team swam with sea turtles! After a trip to the historical site at Pearl Harbor, we met up with alum Lizzy who came over from her teaching job on the big island. What a fun surprise and a validation of just how much the relationships built in college tennis mean to see Lizzy for our last couple days.
She was there along with Reed, Mark and Sandy to cheer us on Saturday in the big showdown of the week. It was #4 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps vs #16 Whitman and while there was a friendly fun spirit of aloha at Central Oahu Regional Park, there was no shortage of intensity on the courts. Doubles went as doubles so often do with Courtney and Morgan starting well but running into a hot CMS team to lose at #1. At #3, Jenna and Maddy continued their momentum, scoring a huge win to tie it up 1-1. Erin and Tree were down a break fighting a team that is super tough from the baseline. The match had been full of service holds, but in the end, three service breaks gave the proset and the 2-1 lead to CMS.
In singles, the courts were split up in 2's and so were the matches. Erin bounced back from the tough doubles by getting back to her competitive self and controlling her shots, emotions and opponent in a straight set win at #5. Next to her, Allie was in one of those matches where she was doing the right things and was incredibly close to turning the match on its head, but all credit to her opponent for not flinching or giving an inch; her loss at #6 had CMS up 3-2. On the next bank of 2 courts, Morgan found similar struggles against the lethal groundies of her first year opponent losing 6-1, 6-3 at #2. Courtney also played an aggressive baseliner, but found a way to exert her game and came away with a very impressive 6-4, 6-1 win to make the score 4-3 CMS. Across the park our sophomores battled and unfortunately the pattern remained, with one match looking to go to each team. Katrina is developing her singles so rapidly, and it seemed every day in Hawaii was a new lesson she took home, though she lost and didn't play her best tennis, I am so proud of how she represented us with a huge heart and big fight. Speaking of big fight, Jenna dropped the first set and really got her groove going, taking the second. With the match decided, they played a match breaker for the third, which was close all the way and really came down to both players playing great with CMS earning a 10-8 win.
So, the match was 6-3, but along with being mere points from beating a top 5 team, we showed our improved depth. This is the first year I've had a team that could take on anyone in the country and we all feel points can come from any spot in doubles or singles. Even better, on our last day playing in Hawaii, we got a 4th doubles where Hannah and Allie continued to play very solid tennis and everyone played a singles match with Maddy continuing her quick re-entry to tennis with a match like Jenna's that came down to a razor thin match tie break. Mags, Liv and Seana each played a set and HP demonstrated her much improved serve and baseline play.
This trip was such a success. We had a ton of fun, created memories to last a lifetime and bonds to make us tougher this season. It was a week on an island paradise, but far more than a vacation, this team enjoyed the process of focusing on tennis and improving each day so we can work to be the best team any of us have ever been on. What a wonderful opportunity we have and I have to thank Jeff Northam, Tom Sawatzki and Greg Patton (Chelsea's dad!) because if it weren't for their amazing work at the Whitman Tennis and Wine Camps, we wouldn't have had the money to make the trip. Speaking of Patton's, Chelsea was AMAZING in her first year coaching she was a steady and reliable guide, a terrific coach and her wonderful energetic self. We wouldn't have had such an amazing time without you C Patt!
I'm always amazed by the support of our friends, families and alums and along with Lizzy we were visited by the Otto's and got to spend some really fun time with Reed, Mark and Sandy who were huge support in our matches, thank you all!
I know this was long post, but it was an epic trip. I'll be more brief next time, which will be very soon as we have LOTS going on back at school and practice and getting ready for our next match Sunday February 3rd at noon in Lewiston, Idaho versus a top NAIA team in Lewis Clark State College.
Aloha,
John
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Whitman In Hawaii Preview
Happy new year to all!
It's been two months since my last blog; the fall to winter transition is a time for a team that can be both thrilling and a bit scary. The off season can be a critical time for the growth of a team. Is it time off court that is necessary for recovery from the summer and fall? Or could it be a focus on extra strength training to prepare for Spring matches? Is it a time for the team to come together and spend all their time working and playing together, or do they follow separate paths towards common goals? In reality, I have found it is all of these things. As a player in DIII, I never really felt like there was an off season, just a time when we practiced without coach and did more fitness. In my first seasons as a head coach it killed me to see my players around campus and not be able to get on court with them; but over the years I have seen that when they are self driven, learn to manage their breaks and know what they need to do both individually and as a team to be our best in Spring, that everyone gains from the built in flexibility provided by the NCAA.
Still, as a coach, I always want more, and as each year our team has given more of themselves to the process of what we're doing (and with the phenomenal fundraising brain child of Whit Men's coach Jeff Northam in the Whitman Tennis and Wine Camps), we are able to this year use our one in four year NCAA trip to Hawaii before classes start. We are all so excited to get to Oahu, be together in a gorgeous place and kick start our year with matches that will prepare us for the road ahead.
We fly over Monday and were going to have a day off to acclimate, practice, get some fitness going; and then we got the opportunity on Tuesday to scrimmage the #4 team in DII in Hawaii Pacific University, so OF COURSE, we are incredibly pumped for the best training you can have, match play versus a quality opponent. Next up on Wednesday is an even greater challenge in BYU Hawaii, who start the season ranked #2 in DII! We'll get to see the North Shore of the island in Winter and again, our team is always hungry for match play so we can't wait for this one. The level becomes more unknown on Thursday as we play our third straight DII opponent in Chaminade University. We'll then have another day to prepare for the big showdown of top ranked west region DIII teams as we bring our preseason #16 national and #5 west region rankings up against #4, #1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
So, we're in for lots of great tennis and a strong kick off to Spring 2014. I couldn't be more excited to continue guiding the growth of this team, these student athletes are phenomenal players and teammates and Coach C Patt and I are fired up to get this party started this week!
-Coach John
PS Here is the Hawaii match schedule; you can dowload our full updated schedule here.
Tuesday 11am vs Hawaii Pacific University at Central Oahu Regional Park (CORP)
Wednesday 2pm vs BYU Hawaii
Thursday 10am vs Chaminade University at CORP
Saturday 1pm vs Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at CORP
It's been two months since my last blog; the fall to winter transition is a time for a team that can be both thrilling and a bit scary. The off season can be a critical time for the growth of a team. Is it time off court that is necessary for recovery from the summer and fall? Or could it be a focus on extra strength training to prepare for Spring matches? Is it a time for the team to come together and spend all their time working and playing together, or do they follow separate paths towards common goals? In reality, I have found it is all of these things. As a player in DIII, I never really felt like there was an off season, just a time when we practiced without coach and did more fitness. In my first seasons as a head coach it killed me to see my players around campus and not be able to get on court with them; but over the years I have seen that when they are self driven, learn to manage their breaks and know what they need to do both individually and as a team to be our best in Spring, that everyone gains from the built in flexibility provided by the NCAA.
Still, as a coach, I always want more, and as each year our team has given more of themselves to the process of what we're doing (and with the phenomenal fundraising brain child of Whit Men's coach Jeff Northam in the Whitman Tennis and Wine Camps), we are able to this year use our one in four year NCAA trip to Hawaii before classes start. We are all so excited to get to Oahu, be together in a gorgeous place and kick start our year with matches that will prepare us for the road ahead.
We fly over Monday and were going to have a day off to acclimate, practice, get some fitness going; and then we got the opportunity on Tuesday to scrimmage the #4 team in DII in Hawaii Pacific University, so OF COURSE, we are incredibly pumped for the best training you can have, match play versus a quality opponent. Next up on Wednesday is an even greater challenge in BYU Hawaii, who start the season ranked #2 in DII! We'll get to see the North Shore of the island in Winter and again, our team is always hungry for match play so we can't wait for this one. The level becomes more unknown on Thursday as we play our third straight DII opponent in Chaminade University. We'll then have another day to prepare for the big showdown of top ranked west region DIII teams as we bring our preseason #16 national and #5 west region rankings up against #4, #1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
So, we're in for lots of great tennis and a strong kick off to Spring 2014. I couldn't be more excited to continue guiding the growth of this team, these student athletes are phenomenal players and teammates and Coach C Patt and I are fired up to get this party started this week!
-Coach John
PS Here is the Hawaii match schedule; you can dowload our full updated schedule here.
Tuesday 11am vs Hawaii Pacific University at Central Oahu Regional Park (CORP)
Wednesday 2pm vs BYU Hawaii
Thursday 10am vs Chaminade University at CORP
Saturday 1pm vs Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at CORP
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