Here it is, our Spring Schedule as a downloadable pdf file.
We'll have more info about our special events on the road and at home, but Coach Maddy and I are delighted to have a steady diet of great opponents throughout the year. There is something special going on with the team this year, those of you who saw us in the fall know we have depth and talent, but there is a larger team thing going on where everyone is in sync and pushing each other and loving the journey - I hope that this schedule helps you share it with us.
It kicks off with a couple of D1/NAIA matches with Eastern WA, Idaho and Lewis Clark State College (ID). These tests will prepare us for a huge home weekend.
The Winter Classic this year brings #18 Redlands and an improved #33 Trinity (TX) along with #35 Linfield. The traveling teams will also play #29 Lewis and Clark; so we've got 5 teams all on the rise in D3 tennis coming to Walla Walla! We can't wait and hope you join us on Presidents Day weekend for Fri, Sat Sun matches.
We then hit the road for three conference weekends before Spring break, there will be some big matches in Portland, Salem and Spokane before we head to California for Spring Break.
On break, we've got two of the top 10 teams in the West with UT Tyler (#36 nationally) and CMS (#4 nationally) followed by a rematch with one of our favorite matches from last year #21 Vassar.
After break, we invite you to come to our Family/Alumni/Senior superweekend April 2-3rd. We'll have matches with Lewis and Clark and George Fox as well as events on and off the court for our visitors.
For those of you in the Seattle/Tacoma area, we finish the regular season with an action packed trip to play UPS, Division 1 Seattle University and then PLU April 16-17th.
I'll have more info about alumni/family gatherings around the road matches and ways to RSVP for home matches. We hope to see you or have you follow indoor livestreaming/tweeting/updates from our adventures on the courts this spring.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
A very special guest
Hello out there!
I hope you're enjoying the shift from summer to fall half as much as I am. Here in the Whitman bubble, we've had ideal conditions to focus on learning from the fall tournament and getting right to work on those things that we need to improve on to have our best season. Of course, our thoughts and hearts go out to those around the world who dwell on less happy problems; notably the community in Roseburg, OR, not far from Lindsey and Hanna's homes.
That being said, here it is tennis and school, or school and tennis depending on the time of day. From the ITA regionals and our first weeks of practice, I knew our team has loads of talent and competes with incredible heart. But how do we build on these hallmarks of Whitman tennis? Well, the answer is we work hard to identify the areas we can improve and set our minds each day to being better. Such a simple model for improvement is far from easy to implement as a tennis player and then to integrate each individuals needs into the team is even harder. So, I decided to bring back friend, coach, and somatic psychologist Morgan Shepherd to work with the team. My goal was to have Morgan help each player clarify what she needs to take her game to the next level while guiding the team towards a common goal they can work for in this next phase of training.
Morgan is brilliant at this as we did team practices, individual lessons and meetings over the four days he spent with us. Maddy and I learned a ton about each player, some made some technical breakthroughs, and everyone honed their mental skills on court which showed in the last practice when we played doubles and singles sets with our usual toughness, but also a poise and consistency that will serve us incredibly well going forward.
It was gratifying to see how open and engaged everyone was at a time when our mid semester break, midterms and the off season are all within sight. On the contrary, all I saw was focused desire to use the time we had with MoShep to learn and improve. Each player had a different experience, while the team gained insight to where we have been, and where we're going.
So where are we going? and what is the answer to how good this team can be? For me, it was certainly clarified this weekend and I'm now more convinced than ever that we have the talent to be as good in D3 as we want to be and each day any one of our 10 players can be the best out there. The level of engagement and understanding this weekend really took shape and it is clear that we can do special things with this group as long as everyone keeps doing the work, maintaining balance and enjoying each other....so if you know Jenna, Katrina, Allie, Hanna, Jenna, Lindsey, Cello, Mary, Lori and Jana, then you know we're in for an amazing ride!
I must extend a very huge thank you to all of you who have supported the Whitman Women's Tennis team; we are just getting into fall fundraising, but through the Tennis and Wine camp and generous donations already made this year we were able to fund Morgan's visit; we hope to bookend the offseason by having him back for a few days in January of continuing the current work and focus on doubles, if that is something you're passionate about making sure happens, I'd love to talk to you about how you can help.
Thanks also to all of the alums and families who have paved the way with your experience here at Whitman and with contributing to the current team's wonderful attitude and spirit with your love and support through the years and at home, Maddy and I couldn't ask for a better environment or group of people to work with.
That's all for the fall season, talk to you soon.
Coach John
I hope you're enjoying the shift from summer to fall half as much as I am. Here in the Whitman bubble, we've had ideal conditions to focus on learning from the fall tournament and getting right to work on those things that we need to improve on to have our best season. Of course, our thoughts and hearts go out to those around the world who dwell on less happy problems; notably the community in Roseburg, OR, not far from Lindsey and Hanna's homes.
That being said, here it is tennis and school, or school and tennis depending on the time of day. From the ITA regionals and our first weeks of practice, I knew our team has loads of talent and competes with incredible heart. But how do we build on these hallmarks of Whitman tennis? Well, the answer is we work hard to identify the areas we can improve and set our minds each day to being better. Such a simple model for improvement is far from easy to implement as a tennis player and then to integrate each individuals needs into the team is even harder. So, I decided to bring back friend, coach, and somatic psychologist Morgan Shepherd to work with the team. My goal was to have Morgan help each player clarify what she needs to take her game to the next level while guiding the team towards a common goal they can work for in this next phase of training.
Morgan is brilliant at this as we did team practices, individual lessons and meetings over the four days he spent with us. Maddy and I learned a ton about each player, some made some technical breakthroughs, and everyone honed their mental skills on court which showed in the last practice when we played doubles and singles sets with our usual toughness, but also a poise and consistency that will serve us incredibly well going forward.
It was gratifying to see how open and engaged everyone was at a time when our mid semester break, midterms and the off season are all within sight. On the contrary, all I saw was focused desire to use the time we had with MoShep to learn and improve. Each player had a different experience, while the team gained insight to where we have been, and where we're going.
So where are we going? and what is the answer to how good this team can be? For me, it was certainly clarified this weekend and I'm now more convinced than ever that we have the talent to be as good in D3 as we want to be and each day any one of our 10 players can be the best out there. The level of engagement and understanding this weekend really took shape and it is clear that we can do special things with this group as long as everyone keeps doing the work, maintaining balance and enjoying each other....so if you know Jenna, Katrina, Allie, Hanna, Jenna, Lindsey, Cello, Mary, Lori and Jana, then you know we're in for an amazing ride!
I must extend a very huge thank you to all of you who have supported the Whitman Women's Tennis team; we are just getting into fall fundraising, but through the Tennis and Wine camp and generous donations already made this year we were able to fund Morgan's visit; we hope to bookend the offseason by having him back for a few days in January of continuing the current work and focus on doubles, if that is something you're passionate about making sure happens, I'd love to talk to you about how you can help.
That's all for the fall season, talk to you soon.
Coach John
Monday, September 21, 2015
A very exciting Fall USTA ITA tournament
Hi everyone,
We just got back last night from our first tournament of the year. The fall USTA/ITA regional championships were hosted by Willamette, you can find draws at this link. It was a phenomenal weekend for us. Being on the road in Salem was so great for this team. We knew in practice and hanging out on campus these first few weeks that the chemistry was terrific and to witness the quick integration of our new players was amazing! I mention that as a key point because this year 4 of our 10 players are first years and the adjustment to college tennis is a challenge of time management as well as mental and physical toughness.
Well, we found out what I had thought from training....that we have a top notch group of players who are all incredibly talented in singles and doubles and are so tough physically and mentally. On top of that each of them as good as they are has so much room to grow and the focus and determination to elevate their games. And the best part is what we already knew, that each of them is a wonderful person; I am so proud to coach players who carry themselves so well, representing the team and Whitman college with the utmost respect and sportsmanship.
On the court, day one was terrific. Mary, Jana and Cello worked their way through two straight set wins to all make the round of 16 as well as the quarters of doubles. Day two they continued their collective run with a win getting to the quarterfinals before each of them lost tough but winnable matches against the #1, #2 and #3 seeds. The tournament is much deeper than it's ever been because the matches they won to get to the quarters would have probably gotten at least one to the finals many other years, but its better to have great competition to drive the next phase of our training. Lori was the only Missionary to drop a first round match, but she made up for it, winning four matches over 3 days all in straight sets to claim the consolation championship. It is a huge adjustment coming from China and after a nervous start, Lori settled in more each match, with the finals bringing arguably her cleanest tennis. I am so happy for her to have this team experience as part of her education, but also to be enjoying her tennis so much.
With Katrina rehabbing her knee still and wearing her coaching hat for the weekend (quite well I might add!), Allie, Jenna, Jenna, Lindsey and Hanna all took to the courts and our sophomores teamed up in doubles after their consolation championship last year. Lindsey and Lil J rolled through their first round and looked terrific in their second match vs the #2 seeds. It was one of those matches where both teams played great and the points were terrific, but some close misses by us and a few big plays by them over the course of the proset determined the outcome. Lindsey has improved her doubles game so much, hitting smarter balls from the baseline to set up Jenna and then being huge at the net. Lil J has always had great doubles instincts and is making plays more and more consistently which is exactly what she needed to do, so each has such exciting doubles ahead of them. In singles, they each stormed through their first round, then Lindsey played well against the #1 seed, but moved into the second round consolation where she rolled to the finals and battled back in a pro set from 4-7 to a tie break at 8-8 which didn't go her way, but the work she put in over the summer is showing in singles as well as doubles. Lil J upset the #15 seed in round 2 and after a terrific first day, never really found her shots playing her teammate Mary in the round of 16, but her improvement is incremental and steady so after telling her each day at practice that the work will pay off, it is great to see that it did because on day one she was a boss out there (Coach Maddy's words, thanks Maddog).
Speaking of growth, after a first year where she demonstrated her doubles prowess, Hanna was back in action in singles with a solid first round win and an incredible match against the player from LC who Allie split with last year. Even though the match tie break was 9-11, Hanna proved what she's been showing in practice, that she's got the focus to be just as tough in singles as in doubles. She and Allie came in hot at the #3 seed in doubles and had two good wins on day one, but had trouble finding their rhythm in the quarters vs the #6 seeds. The way they fought and gave themselves a chance even though their plays weren't as sharp as they'd like is going to win them a lot of matches.
Allie in singles has worked so hard and really had a tough draw. After blitzing through the first two rounds, she squared off against the #2 seed and played aggressively the way she wanted to, but her laser shots which so often find corners and lines were ever so slightly off and her opponent wasn't giving her any room to make errors so it was a tough match. The thing I measure Allie on though is her mental game and I'm not sure I've ever coached a player who has improved so much. This translates off the court as she is so engaged in everything with the team and on a team full of leadership, Allie stood tall this weekend as she does each week. Don't let the result fool you, Allie is primed for an amazing season.
Finally, Jenna D, our senior on the courts seeded 4th in singles and 7th in doubles (with Cello) was a model of leadership and determination. Like many of her teammates, she cruised on day one in singles, though she and Cello really had to bring it to get out of the second round of doubles against a tough Linfield team. Day two in singles started well with a tough straight set win over a very nice new player for Pacific and Jenna looked to be cruising with a 6-3 first set over a Linfield freshman. Then things turned a bit as her opponent caught fire and she found herself down 2-5. Of course, its Jenna so where many players would have given up the set, she dug in and fought through I don't know how many deuce games to 5-5 before some big tennis from her opponent got it to 5-7. The third set she started great up 3-1 then the momentum shifted back and she was up against it 3-5. A final momentum shift was earned through Jenna's hard work and willingness to not only bang from the baseline but come up and finish at net and she carried that all the way to the finish line in a 6-3,5-7,7-5 win! On short rest, she came back with Cello to battle the #2 seeded doubles team and they played a brilliant match of smart tactics, big shotmaking and most of all wonderful communication and chemistry to earn a trip to the semi's. I think that next match as the sun set may have been one too many in a long day of tennis as our level dropped a bit, but really what happened was the team from LC stepped up and played brilliantly. Some of the points were so amazing all the fans had to cheer for all four players on numerous occasions. After a terrific battle, LC moved on to the finals where they won and will represent the NWC at the small college nationals in South Carolina.
Jenna's singles semi Sunday morning was one that the score doesn't show how good it was. Both players battled a bit of semifinal nerves but both did well to keep the level high and most points were won with positive play as unforced errors were few and far between. In the end it was a 2-6,1-6 loss to the eventual champion who played a wonderful tournament beating Allie, Jana and Jenna before upsetting the #1 seed in the finals. Jenna demonstrated that her game keeps expanding and that any day she is right there at the top of our conference in singles and doubles.
All in all, we couldn't have asked for better tennis, better weather and most of all better company. The team was terrific enjoying and supporting each other and our families and friends who cheered us on were amazing. The Dobrins, Greenbergs, Gilberts, Lockwoods, Val, Amy and Jen enhanced the meaning and fun of this weekend. It was also really cool to feel the presence of those of you who weren't there but were connected with me and the team through following results, checking in and supporting these terrific student athletes. None of this weekend could have gone so well without Katrina's coaching and support and Maddy's incredible transition from player to coach.
Next for us is some rest! but also some training as we apply the lessons from this weekend in practice for the next two weeks.
I've also received some fan clothing orders and I'll (or maybe our OUTSTANDING assistant coach Maddy) will send out a final request for orders.
I hope you're all well and that I've been able to give you at least some idea of how great this team is this year and how fortunate I am to be a part of it.
Cheers!
John
We just got back last night from our first tournament of the year. The fall USTA/ITA regional championships were hosted by Willamette, you can find draws at this link. It was a phenomenal weekend for us. Being on the road in Salem was so great for this team. We knew in practice and hanging out on campus these first few weeks that the chemistry was terrific and to witness the quick integration of our new players was amazing! I mention that as a key point because this year 4 of our 10 players are first years and the adjustment to college tennis is a challenge of time management as well as mental and physical toughness.
Well, we found out what I had thought from training....that we have a top notch group of players who are all incredibly talented in singles and doubles and are so tough physically and mentally. On top of that each of them as good as they are has so much room to grow and the focus and determination to elevate their games. And the best part is what we already knew, that each of them is a wonderful person; I am so proud to coach players who carry themselves so well, representing the team and Whitman college with the utmost respect and sportsmanship.
On the court, day one was terrific. Mary, Jana and Cello worked their way through two straight set wins to all make the round of 16 as well as the quarters of doubles. Day two they continued their collective run with a win getting to the quarterfinals before each of them lost tough but winnable matches against the #1, #2 and #3 seeds. The tournament is much deeper than it's ever been because the matches they won to get to the quarters would have probably gotten at least one to the finals many other years, but its better to have great competition to drive the next phase of our training. Lori was the only Missionary to drop a first round match, but she made up for it, winning four matches over 3 days all in straight sets to claim the consolation championship. It is a huge adjustment coming from China and after a nervous start, Lori settled in more each match, with the finals bringing arguably her cleanest tennis. I am so happy for her to have this team experience as part of her education, but also to be enjoying her tennis so much.
With Katrina rehabbing her knee still and wearing her coaching hat for the weekend (quite well I might add!), Allie, Jenna, Jenna, Lindsey and Hanna all took to the courts and our sophomores teamed up in doubles after their consolation championship last year. Lindsey and Lil J rolled through their first round and looked terrific in their second match vs the #2 seeds. It was one of those matches where both teams played great and the points were terrific, but some close misses by us and a few big plays by them over the course of the proset determined the outcome. Lindsey has improved her doubles game so much, hitting smarter balls from the baseline to set up Jenna and then being huge at the net. Lil J has always had great doubles instincts and is making plays more and more consistently which is exactly what she needed to do, so each has such exciting doubles ahead of them. In singles, they each stormed through their first round, then Lindsey played well against the #1 seed, but moved into the second round consolation where she rolled to the finals and battled back in a pro set from 4-7 to a tie break at 8-8 which didn't go her way, but the work she put in over the summer is showing in singles as well as doubles. Lil J upset the #15 seed in round 2 and after a terrific first day, never really found her shots playing her teammate Mary in the round of 16, but her improvement is incremental and steady so after telling her each day at practice that the work will pay off, it is great to see that it did because on day one she was a boss out there (Coach Maddy's words, thanks Maddog).
Speaking of growth, after a first year where she demonstrated her doubles prowess, Hanna was back in action in singles with a solid first round win and an incredible match against the player from LC who Allie split with last year. Even though the match tie break was 9-11, Hanna proved what she's been showing in practice, that she's got the focus to be just as tough in singles as in doubles. She and Allie came in hot at the #3 seed in doubles and had two good wins on day one, but had trouble finding their rhythm in the quarters vs the #6 seeds. The way they fought and gave themselves a chance even though their plays weren't as sharp as they'd like is going to win them a lot of matches.
Allie in singles has worked so hard and really had a tough draw. After blitzing through the first two rounds, she squared off against the #2 seed and played aggressively the way she wanted to, but her laser shots which so often find corners and lines were ever so slightly off and her opponent wasn't giving her any room to make errors so it was a tough match. The thing I measure Allie on though is her mental game and I'm not sure I've ever coached a player who has improved so much. This translates off the court as she is so engaged in everything with the team and on a team full of leadership, Allie stood tall this weekend as she does each week. Don't let the result fool you, Allie is primed for an amazing season.
Finally, Jenna D, our senior on the courts seeded 4th in singles and 7th in doubles (with Cello) was a model of leadership and determination. Like many of her teammates, she cruised on day one in singles, though she and Cello really had to bring it to get out of the second round of doubles against a tough Linfield team. Day two in singles started well with a tough straight set win over a very nice new player for Pacific and Jenna looked to be cruising with a 6-3 first set over a Linfield freshman. Then things turned a bit as her opponent caught fire and she found herself down 2-5. Of course, its Jenna so where many players would have given up the set, she dug in and fought through I don't know how many deuce games to 5-5 before some big tennis from her opponent got it to 5-7. The third set she started great up 3-1 then the momentum shifted back and she was up against it 3-5. A final momentum shift was earned through Jenna's hard work and willingness to not only bang from the baseline but come up and finish at net and she carried that all the way to the finish line in a 6-3,5-7,7-5 win! On short rest, she came back with Cello to battle the #2 seeded doubles team and they played a brilliant match of smart tactics, big shotmaking and most of all wonderful communication and chemistry to earn a trip to the semi's. I think that next match as the sun set may have been one too many in a long day of tennis as our level dropped a bit, but really what happened was the team from LC stepped up and played brilliantly. Some of the points were so amazing all the fans had to cheer for all four players on numerous occasions. After a terrific battle, LC moved on to the finals where they won and will represent the NWC at the small college nationals in South Carolina.
Jenna's singles semi Sunday morning was one that the score doesn't show how good it was. Both players battled a bit of semifinal nerves but both did well to keep the level high and most points were won with positive play as unforced errors were few and far between. In the end it was a 2-6,1-6 loss to the eventual champion who played a wonderful tournament beating Allie, Jana and Jenna before upsetting the #1 seed in the finals. Jenna demonstrated that her game keeps expanding and that any day she is right there at the top of our conference in singles and doubles.
All in all, we couldn't have asked for better tennis, better weather and most of all better company. The team was terrific enjoying and supporting each other and our families and friends who cheered us on were amazing. The Dobrins, Greenbergs, Gilberts, Lockwoods, Val, Amy and Jen enhanced the meaning and fun of this weekend. It was also really cool to feel the presence of those of you who weren't there but were connected with me and the team through following results, checking in and supporting these terrific student athletes. None of this weekend could have gone so well without Katrina's coaching and support and Maddy's incredible transition from player to coach.
Next for us is some rest! but also some training as we apply the lessons from this weekend in practice for the next two weeks.
I've also received some fan clothing orders and I'll (or maybe our OUTSTANDING assistant coach Maddy) will send out a final request for orders.
I hope you're all well and that I've been able to give you at least some idea of how great this team is this year and how fortunate I am to be a part of it.
Cheers!
John
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
First week of practice and Fan Clothing Orders
FIRST WEEK OF PRACTICE RECAP
I can't help but feel predictable in my inconsistent writing frequency. I'd meant to check in after our first practice of the fall last week, and then the second and the third and so on. Then, I thought, oh I need some photos of the team but all of us were so engaged in what we were doing on court I just didn't get as many as I'd like, but what I have is here.
This leads to the two things I would say about this years team: First, the engagement of everyone, from the returners, to all the new players, Maddy as a coach and even Katrina rehabbing her knee - everyone is right there from the start to finish of every day which is making it so much fun. Secondly, there is an intense drive to get better each day. People worked hard over the summer which showed when we ran the mile and the beep test. It was also evident on court as the level of play is phenomenal.
So, now that it is week two, we're settling into a nice rhythm and making the most of each day together in this short fall season.
Our only scheduled competition is the fall USTA/ITA regional hosted by Willamette in Salem Sep 17-20th. I won't know until a few days before but everyone will play singles and we'll have 4 doubles teams. Matches start Friday morning, go all day Friday and Saturday with the tournament finishing Sunday afternoon. I'm excited some of you will come, if you'll be there and haven't been in touch, let me know we can't wait to see you and you'll be in for some exciting tennis!
I'll send more details when they are finalized.
PART 2!! FAN CLOTHING ORDERS
I'll be putting in t shirt, hat and visor orders, so email me heinj@whitman.edu if you'd like to order one, most will have to be made so if we get orders by 9/20 then we should have them in October.
We'll have "WHITMAN TENNIS" T shirts in Navy, Yellow or White ($15) and Nike Drifit hats and visors in Navy or White ($25)
If you have ideas of fan gear you'd like us to make for you - let me know!
Best,
Coach John
Here's some pics of the team at Walla Walla Food truck night!
I can't help but feel predictable in my inconsistent writing frequency. I'd meant to check in after our first practice of the fall last week, and then the second and the third and so on. Then, I thought, oh I need some photos of the team but all of us were so engaged in what we were doing on court I just didn't get as many as I'd like, but what I have is here.
 |
| Lori serving at practice |
So, now that it is week two, we're settling into a nice rhythm and making the most of each day together in this short fall season.
Our only scheduled competition is the fall USTA/ITA regional hosted by Willamette in Salem Sep 17-20th. I won't know until a few days before but everyone will play singles and we'll have 4 doubles teams. Matches start Friday morning, go all day Friday and Saturday with the tournament finishing Sunday afternoon. I'm excited some of you will come, if you'll be there and haven't been in touch, let me know we can't wait to see you and you'll be in for some exciting tennis!
I'll send more details when they are finalized.
 |
| The beautiful Whitman Courts with some awesome singles going on. |
PART 2!! FAN CLOTHING ORDERS
I'll be putting in t shirt, hat and visor orders, so email me heinj@whitman.edu if you'd like to order one, most will have to be made so if we get orders by 9/20 then we should have them in October.
We'll have "WHITMAN TENNIS" T shirts in Navy, Yellow or White ($15) and Nike Drifit hats and visors in Navy or White ($25)
If you have ideas of fan gear you'd like us to make for you - let me know!
Best,
Coach John
Here's some pics of the team at Walla Walla Food truck night!
Friday, August 28, 2015
Introducing Madison Webster
About five years ago I got a letter and a DVD from a high school player in Long Beach, CA. She had no ranking, not a single USTA tournament result, so her tennis was hard to assess. Her letter to me, however, was very impressive; quite thoughtful, full of excitement, and very well written. Still, no matter how great a person someone is, they still need to be able to play to earn a spot on the team. Then I watched her video...okay I thought, she's got great technique, seems focused, but a video rarely tells the story of who a player is in a match or what they'll be like day in and day out at practice. Then I get to her references, and there is a quote, "I can promise you that you will feel blessed to have her on your team". Not bad as recommendations go, but coaches often get sentimental about their players (see pretty much every blog post I've written). But this coach just happened to be college coaching legend and current USC coach Peter Smith.
One of the best things I've done in 8 years at Whitman is recruiting the heck out of Maddy Webster. She turned out to be a terrific player and an outstanding leader on our team. So, this summer, I started recruiting her again and I am so thrilled to announce Maddy as our assistant coach for 2015-2016.
Maddy brings to the team an incredible understanding of how our team works. Her personality will be tremendous in recruiting and in developing the technique and tactics of our players she will add so much. Her coaching experience started with every summer going home and working with Peter coaching at his academy. She volunteered here in Walla Walla to teach tennis in schools and in after school programs. This summer she taught private lessons and directed youth programs at Whitman through the City of Walla Walla Parks and Rec. She also worked this summer as the first ever intern for our joint fund raiser with the Whitman Men's team, the Walla Walla Tennis and Wine Camp. In that capacity, Maddy's organizational ability, teamwork and problem solving were so strong that she often finished her administrative work and jumped on court to coach. Even with the best players, (4.5-5.0 adults), Maddy demonstrated great confidence, knowledge of the game and feel for helping players improve.
Maddy is a huge asset for our team and I am so happy she's here with us this year. You can reach her at webstemp@whitman.edu.
So thank you Peter Smith for your recommendation, I couldn't agree more that we are blessed to have her on our team. I hope you don't mind if I copy it in the future when I'm writing references for Maddy.
 |
| Maddy's recruiting DVD - nice graphics, no wonder she rocked as an Art Major |
One of the best things I've done in 8 years at Whitman is recruiting the heck out of Maddy Webster. She turned out to be a terrific player and an outstanding leader on our team. So, this summer, I started recruiting her again and I am so thrilled to announce Maddy as our assistant coach for 2015-2016.
Maddy brings to the team an incredible understanding of how our team works. Her personality will be tremendous in recruiting and in developing the technique and tactics of our players she will add so much. Her coaching experience started with every summer going home and working with Peter coaching at his academy. She volunteered here in Walla Walla to teach tennis in schools and in after school programs. This summer she taught private lessons and directed youth programs at Whitman through the City of Walla Walla Parks and Rec. She also worked this summer as the first ever intern for our joint fund raiser with the Whitman Men's team, the Walla Walla Tennis and Wine Camp. In that capacity, Maddy's organizational ability, teamwork and problem solving were so strong that she often finished her administrative work and jumped on court to coach. Even with the best players, (4.5-5.0 adults), Maddy demonstrated great confidence, knowledge of the game and feel for helping players improve.
 |
| Maddy doing some coaching for the team last fall |
Maddy is a huge asset for our team and I am so happy she's here with us this year. You can reach her at webstemp@whitman.edu.
So thank you Peter Smith for your recommendation, I couldn't agree more that we are blessed to have her on our team. I hope you don't mind if I copy it in the future when I'm writing references for Maddy.
 |
| The 2015-2016 Whitman Women's Coaching Staff |
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Welcome Whit Women of 2019!
It's that time of year, campus is starting to buzz - travel is happening and orientation is around the corner. I've never been one for formal announcements of our recruiting classes, so this is as close as I'll get right now. This year, we bring in a very talented (ranked #18 nationally by tennisrecruiting.net) but also really well rounded class.
Leading the way on paper, is our first 3 star recruit (tennisrecruiting.net) since Courtney, Jana Klages-Miller. Attending Reynolds high school in North Carolina, Jana competed the strong Southern Section of USTA tennis. Her results have been great and reflect her intense focus and competitiveness. It's really the combination of clear direct focus on tennis and school combined with a silly and fun sense of humor about everything else that really drew me to Jana. You'll also see my recruiting style reflected in this class; while I certainly do my homework on their tennis, we don't have the budget to travel outside of the Northwest for recruiting, so we're lucky to have results, great coach recommendations and mostly the personality of each recruit to go by. You can read more about Jana's personality is that perfect combination of hard work and fun that will make her a force to be reckoned with right away while her desire and commitment to keep growing her game are something I'm excited to be a part of for the next four years. Another thing Jana has is a twin! Unfortunately, Nora isn't as smitten with tennis as Jana but don't shed a tear for her as she explores college from a different viewpoint at St. Andrew's in Scotland.
Mary Hill is a 2 star recruit from Des Moines, IA, but in Universal tennis ratings, she is our top recruit. Mary's results in the Missouri Valley Section show that she can play consistently at a level that should be able to help our lineup right away. Perhaps what is better is that she has loads of untapped potential and a feel for the game that either comes naturally or takes years and years to teach. She's been successful in school at Roosevelt High, taking part of her curriculum through their honors program and part on the main campus in Des Moines. I love the calm in Mary's game. "Quiet Hands" and dynamic balance are a coaches dream and allow her to do almost anything she wants with the ball. These play a huge part in her doubles success, winning back to back state high school doubles championships. As calm as she is on the outside, there is a fire and excitement in Mary that is primed to explode as we all find out just how great she can be.
More known to me is our local recruit, Caroline (Cello) Lockwood. Cello was an instant hit on campus. I wanted to hang out with her all day, but the team beat me to it and her ease on campus and with the returners will allow her to be a leader on and off the court from day one. Cello brings a ton of confidence, is a terrific competitor and has a big game that she knows how to control. Like Mary and Jana, Cello could be one of our best players right away, she's another 2 star recruit but has wins over players who are among the best in DIII. Cello is such an athlete and competitor that it is impossible to gauge her ceiling as a tennis player and as a sparkplug for how we compete as a team. She's the kind of person you just want to be around, her game is explosive and fluid and I can't wait to spend more time on court (and off) with her. To learn more about Cello, here is an essay she wrote to win a World Team Tennis Leadership Scholarship.
Finally, our wild card is Linqi (Lori) Sheng. We're still not sure how well we'll pronounce her name, so she may go by her English name Lori, but Linqi is the first recruited player for our program from China (and maybe the first in Whitman athletics history). She has a beautiful game with a smoothness and tactical awareness of her favorite player, Roger Federer. Her personality matches up with her tennis which in our sport where you can't hide from yourself so if you fight your nature, you're in trouble. I say she's a wild card because there is no competitive reference for me from the players she trained and played with in Qingdao, China to who we have here in the US. But, as with our other incoming players, her personality, goals and desire to do the right things to have an amazing college tennis experience made her one of those players you "have to have" on your team. The fact that she is a baller doesn't hurt. She's actually traveling right now with her parents up the west coast to see much of this part of America before landing in Walla Walla next week. We can't wait to welcome our new international player and enjoy her individual personality, but also her perspective on the world that will undoubtedly be different than everyone's in a way where we can all learn from and enrich each other.
This is a class with talent, experience competing at a really high level, and most of all the balance of diverse personalities who all share a common love of team and tennis as an integral part of their college education. I can't wait to start practice the first week of September and get to know everyone even more!
Welcome Linqi, Mary, Cello and Jana and your families;
you are the present and future of Whitman tennis and are now part of our growing family!
-Coach John
 |
| Jana Klages-Miller, Whitman 2019 |
 |
| Mary Hill, Whitman 2019, at her ceremonial signing day. She's with her dad Mark (left) and high school coach Mike Shaw. |
 |
| Cello Lockwood, Whitman 2019 |
 |
| Linqi (Lori) Sheng, Whitman 2019 |
 |
| Okay, how do you tell without meeting someone in person they are perfect for you program. Let's start with the grades and test scores to get into Whitman; add in school til 5pm so late practices every day, sprinkle on the most sparkling positive personality (thank you Skype) seeking every adventure and opportunity to grow and finish with a hip hop dance group. I rest my case. |
This is a class with talent, experience competing at a really high level, and most of all the balance of diverse personalities who all share a common love of team and tennis as an integral part of their college education. I can't wait to start practice the first week of September and get to know everyone even more!
Welcome Linqi, Mary, Cello and Jana and your families;
you are the present and future of Whitman tennis and are now part of our growing family!
-Coach John
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Gratitude
Hello and happy summer everyone!
The time certainly flies by with different projects going on; for me mostly fund raising and recruiting, but also preparing for an exciting season to come. I must admit, however, that I've been dreading writing this post and have put it off for weeks and weeks.
Why would I not want to write about this team? In 2014-2015, we not only had one of our most successful campaigns on court finishing #22 in the nation and advancing to the second round of NCAA's, but somehow, someway, this experience just keeps getting more fun and rewarding. On top of that, the topic I'm writing about, our seniors - excuse me - graduates, is the reason we had so much fun. But, how amazing they are is exactly why it is so hard to write and say goodbye to them.
During Maddy, Courtney and Morgan's four years at Whitman, including the past two with Erin, so much has happened. We earned our first national ranking in my time here, we qualified for the NCAA's for the first time and in our first round in 2012 we defeated my alma mater UC Santa Cruz in what was one of the most special moments for me as a coach. This was followed up by three more NCAA trips, but also three straight Northwest Conference championships.
Along the way, Courtney has become arguably our most decorated player ever (Lynn Greer McKelvey might argue that point...). A three time NWC player of the year who qualified for 3 NCAA individual singles championships and 2 NCAA singles championships, she finished the year nationally ranked in singles and doubles each of her four years and is Whitman's first 7 time ITA All-American player (4 doubles, 3 singles). What is so amazing to me is that if I had to define Courtney, it wouldn't be as an individual at all, but as the ultimate team player. Whenever I planned a practice or made a lineup decision, in talking to Courtney, her response was always intelligent and showed huge caring for her teammates, but it always included, "whatever is best for the team, I'll do". This is who Courtney is, and her passion for friendships and teamwork is a legacy that will endure on this team and in my heart much longer than her long list of on court accolades.
Morgan isn't without her own list of accomplishments. As a two time ITA All-American and three time all NWC performer, Morgan was also Whitman's Senior performer of the year this year. Despite missing significant time her junior year due to injuries, as a senior Morgan joined the Century Club, winning over 100 matches during her career at Whitman. Anyone who spent a single practice or watched a single match of Morgan's will tell you that beyond being a talented player, she has the heart of a lion. Morgan is the kind of competitor who inspires with her effort and will to win. She brings all of herself to everything she does and was instrumental in instilling a team wide desire to want to win and do everything to win but without sacrificing sportsmanship, generosity and kindness. For all of the accolades earned, neither Morgan or Courtney ever seemed concerned with them. And that focus on the process of what it takes to be not just a good, but a better and better player, teammate and person is what truly makes these two so special.
We see this same quality in Maddy. I remember when the three of them were in their first college tournament, playing singles and doubles at Willamette and the twins asked Maddy if she'd checked in yet for her match. "What, I have to check in?" Maddy's response was priceless because in high school she had chosen not to play USTA tournaments and had no idea what to do. Her independence and determination to constantly experience new things isn't uncommon at Whitman, but to have this without giving up the training, dedication, focus and competitive edge it takes to play at the level she does is something I've never seen before. Through her years at Whitman, Maddy was integral to everything we did. On the court, she learned singles tactics and how to use her aggressive game to win us matches, but it was always doubles where she really shined. Playing every position in the lineup and being ranked as high as the top 10 in the West region in doubles (I'm not sure she knows how close she and Courtney were to going to NCAA individuals their junior year), Maddy has been one of our best doubles players on a team that excels in doubles. But it is the way she found ways to lead us, to be both incredibly supportive and loving but also so direct and efficient that in many ways made her not just a leader, but a captain and in this past year very much a coach. Maddy would win a HUGE doubles point (7-3 record vs nationally ranked teams as a senior), lead us vocally through the match, and then promptly find us food and make sure each and every person was taken care of recovering and preparing for the next match. As I think about it, I'm still in awe that she did all this and made it look so easy and fun. I know that everything she did made my job an absolute joy for the past four years.
Speaking of joy, having the opportunity to coach and build a relationship with Erin is one of the most incredible things I've done at Whitman. I love how genuine the amazing young women I coach are, but Erin takes it to another level. She knows herself, pushes herself to grow and is very direct and up front about what she wants, needs and has learned. Change can be hard, but Erin realized that it is what she needed and transferred to Whitman as a junior. Making the most of every day with the team, in her classes and in our community; it was incredible to see Erin have a clear plan of where she wanted to go and how she wanted to get there. It was always the toughest matches that Erin was the most pumped up for, and that she played the best in. How she rises up to challenges fits perfectly with her busy, quirky, fun, intense, loving personality and will make her an amazing teacher. She is already starting her first year of teaching middle school this year as part of her grad program at Notre Dame. As EBell becomes Ms. Bell, I couldn't be more proud.
Each of these four is an example of someone who came into college with great academic ability, tremendous tennis skills and the qualities of a teammate anyone would want to be around. That none of them was satisfied and they all attacked their tennis, their academics and their personal growth with the same fun intensity they practice and play with every day is indicative of the very best of our program and of Whitman. I'd like to say one more time how incredibly fortunate I feel to be their coach, to have had the time we've had and to look forward to the times ahead.
Thank you Erin, Morgan, Maddy and Courtney. You have enriched the lives of so many around you and not only brought great years to our program, but like so many wonderful players before you, you've left the program in a stronger place than it was when you arrived - you are forever Whitties and our family just keeps growing and getting stronger.
John
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
The start of something new
Dear fans, families and friends,
The end of this season was a whirlwind of tennis, families and emotions for me. In case you weren't following along, after the most thrilling Conference Tournament title possible with a 5-4 win over a young Lewis and Clark team that came down to a tie break in the third set of the last match, we took to California for NCAA Regionals. Our first round as the #3 seed in the 6 team draw faced us against #6 St. Scholastica. The Saints from Minnesota played tough doubles but our talent, experience and depth came through in a 5-0 win. Our second round (regional semifinal = national round of 32), we faced another young talented team in #2 seed (and #10 nationally) Pomona Pitzer. The Sagehens came out on top of two close doubles matches and played terrific at the other for a 3-0 sweep. We fought hard, and were in many matches, but there are probably about two more subtle levels of depth in DIII and the Hens are in that next group and played great to win the match and finish our season.
Some highlights from the end of the year for me were on court. One of these was the doubles play of Maddy and Hanna. In Maddy's senior year, her game found an incredible new level where she was still dominating the net but was also as solid as anyone with her serves, returns and crosscourt groundstrokes. She can know that the finished her career as one of the top doubles players in our conference and region - for someone who did not play a single USTA tournament growing up, her amazing college career is one that our program will build on as it shows how far talent, hard work and strong character can take you, regardless of your junior ranking (or lack thereof). During the Pomona match, there was a stretch where I looked around and realized the best of the 12 players on court was Hanna. She has been a great doubles player from day one, and the experience of playing and winning national matches is something she'll carry into the rest of her career. I may have stated this in a previous blog, but she's also really putting together her singles game and knows exactly what she needs to do to take that to the level of her doubles which is exciting for the future of our program.
Speaking of the future, teams get better by playing better doubles and being deeper. This year, Jenna Gilbert was the poster child for this. If you could have seen her getting after it every day in practice and pushing herself to improve win or lose, you would have been as blown away as me. She's made some adjustments to transition her game to college and we saw it in spurts including a big fall win of the #3 seed at the Fall ITA, some huge exhibition wins over nationally ranked teams Linfield, Lewis and Clark and LaVerne. All of this on top of her 7-3 singles and 6-2 doubles record shows that she's dangerous now and her future and our teams future is just as bright as her smile that lights up her teammates each day. Another first year player who found breakthroughs but also has a long way to go before reaching her potential is Lindsey. With a 7-3 doubles and 15-9 singles record, Lindsey was a model of toughness and hard work. She expanded her game while competing under pressure. I was able to coach Lindsey a few years ago at zonals and she is different player, with weapons and options that she's worked hard to build, I can't wait to see where she goes next. Alex, while not in her first year of college, rounds out our new players and again going back to the depth we have, it is evident in Alex's 15-3 singles and 5-1 doubles records. Alex is a competitor who has tremendous tools and really worked hard to make the adjustment in transferring as a student and tennis player to Whitman. She would constantly be talking tennis, teaching tennis or playing tennis and it was so much fun to work with her on harnessing the feel that she has for the game. She's made some big breakthroughs in controlling the tempo of her play and we can't wait for her senior year!
Joining her as seniors next year will be Jenna and Katrina. These two have gone from being roommates in Jewett Hall, to productive players for us to absolute stars and tremendous leaders on our team. Tree was showcasing both her improved balance at the baseline with her always huge net play when a knee injury sidelined her for the end of the season. Undaunted, she's been both rehabbing and coaching for us and we wouldn't have gotten through the conference tournament final without all 12 players, Katrina being a huge part of that helping coach Morgan and Allie as they won singles to clinch the title. Jenna has worked hard on her doubles but remains one of our best and the region's best singles players. She cracked the West top 25 and on spring break, after a week off the court with a nasty virus, she came back to play three awesome three set matches with top #2 players. The mark of improvement is not just how you can play at your best, but when everything isn't working, if you're able to compete. That's just what JD has done, she went 7-2 in NWC play and had wins over #1's from Whitworth and Pacific. She stepped up whenever Courtney was out and has also learned to use her huge work ethic to guide and motivate her teammates. We've seen big things from the 6'1" lefty as she earned her first 1st team all NWC nod this year after making the 2nd team as a sophomore.
Another all NWC player for us this year was Allie. Another incredibly hard worker and amazing leader on the team, she played a huge role in singles winning critical matches over nationally ranked La Verne, Linfield, Whittier, UT Tyler and the biggest one being the deciding marathon win over LC to send us to the NCAA tournament. Allie has some of the best strokes on the team but spent significant time in the off season reworking her serve to add both power and variety, but it is her daily work in the gym that gave her the physical and mental toughness to play as long as she needs to against any style player. We also encourage leadership from everyone by not having named captains and Allie really benefited by this by being a huge leader in every way for us this year. Her growth has been tremendous and it keeps getting better so I only see her pushing more and doing bigger and better things in the future.
As you can tell, we're working towards saying goodbye to our graduates, but without match results to update and having written a lot already, I'll save that for a separate post. Still, there is one more player who has been instrumental in this season being so incredibly special. I talked about everyone leading and Seana has not only been a joy for me to coach and everyone to be around, but she is a model of what it means to be a teammate. As her tennis improves and she brings her big serve and forehand to doubles and singles, she has stepped up her consistency. But what I really want to highlight goes back to her leadership. You need great trust from your teammates and Seana earns this every day with her efforts, sense of playfulness and mostly her loyalty as she'll back up a teammate in any situation. You also need great communication and Seana is exemplary. She came to me during the season to talk about next year and her desire to commit more to other interests she has on campus. As we talked it through, her passion for tennis and the team were so evident. The most influential people in our lives commit to what they do 100% and while I am so excited to see Seana lead in other arena's on campus with her 100% commitment, we will miss her daily presence and leadership on our team. I can hope that she rejoins us, but if that isn't the case it will be because she has found and stoked passions in other areas of her life. So, thank you Seana for two special years, for trusting us and giving 100% of yourself and sharing the big tennis and bright light that you are with us.
So, my next posts will celebrate our seniors moving on to some wonderful things and also look forward to meeting our four incoming players (many of whom have birthday's coming up!).
Thanks for reading and sharing in our special season as we gear up and look ahead to an even brighter future in 2015-2016!
Coach John
The end of this season was a whirlwind of tennis, families and emotions for me. In case you weren't following along, after the most thrilling Conference Tournament title possible with a 5-4 win over a young Lewis and Clark team that came down to a tie break in the third set of the last match, we took to California for NCAA Regionals. Our first round as the #3 seed in the 6 team draw faced us against #6 St. Scholastica. The Saints from Minnesota played tough doubles but our talent, experience and depth came through in a 5-0 win. Our second round (regional semifinal = national round of 32), we faced another young talented team in #2 seed (and #10 nationally) Pomona Pitzer. The Sagehens came out on top of two close doubles matches and played terrific at the other for a 3-0 sweep. We fought hard, and were in many matches, but there are probably about two more subtle levels of depth in DIII and the Hens are in that next group and played great to win the match and finish our season.
Speaking of the future, teams get better by playing better doubles and being deeper. This year, Jenna Gilbert was the poster child for this. If you could have seen her getting after it every day in practice and pushing herself to improve win or lose, you would have been as blown away as me. She's made some adjustments to transition her game to college and we saw it in spurts including a big fall win of the #3 seed at the Fall ITA, some huge exhibition wins over nationally ranked teams Linfield, Lewis and Clark and LaVerne. All of this on top of her 7-3 singles and 6-2 doubles record shows that she's dangerous now and her future and our teams future is just as bright as her smile that lights up her teammates each day. Another first year player who found breakthroughs but also has a long way to go before reaching her potential is Lindsey. With a 7-3 doubles and 15-9 singles record, Lindsey was a model of toughness and hard work. She expanded her game while competing under pressure. I was able to coach Lindsey a few years ago at zonals and she is different player, with weapons and options that she's worked hard to build, I can't wait to see where she goes next. Alex, while not in her first year of college, rounds out our new players and again going back to the depth we have, it is evident in Alex's 15-3 singles and 5-1 doubles records. Alex is a competitor who has tremendous tools and really worked hard to make the adjustment in transferring as a student and tennis player to Whitman. She would constantly be talking tennis, teaching tennis or playing tennis and it was so much fun to work with her on harnessing the feel that she has for the game. She's made some big breakthroughs in controlling the tempo of her play and we can't wait for her senior year!
Joining her as seniors next year will be Jenna and Katrina. These two have gone from being roommates in Jewett Hall, to productive players for us to absolute stars and tremendous leaders on our team. Tree was showcasing both her improved balance at the baseline with her always huge net play when a knee injury sidelined her for the end of the season. Undaunted, she's been both rehabbing and coaching for us and we wouldn't have gotten through the conference tournament final without all 12 players, Katrina being a huge part of that helping coach Morgan and Allie as they won singles to clinch the title. Jenna has worked hard on her doubles but remains one of our best and the region's best singles players. She cracked the West top 25 and on spring break, after a week off the court with a nasty virus, she came back to play three awesome three set matches with top #2 players. The mark of improvement is not just how you can play at your best, but when everything isn't working, if you're able to compete. That's just what JD has done, she went 7-2 in NWC play and had wins over #1's from Whitworth and Pacific. She stepped up whenever Courtney was out and has also learned to use her huge work ethic to guide and motivate her teammates. We've seen big things from the 6'1" lefty as she earned her first 1st team all NWC nod this year after making the 2nd team as a sophomore.
Another all NWC player for us this year was Allie. Another incredibly hard worker and amazing leader on the team, she played a huge role in singles winning critical matches over nationally ranked La Verne, Linfield, Whittier, UT Tyler and the biggest one being the deciding marathon win over LC to send us to the NCAA tournament. Allie has some of the best strokes on the team but spent significant time in the off season reworking her serve to add both power and variety, but it is her daily work in the gym that gave her the physical and mental toughness to play as long as she needs to against any style player. We also encourage leadership from everyone by not having named captains and Allie really benefited by this by being a huge leader in every way for us this year. Her growth has been tremendous and it keeps getting better so I only see her pushing more and doing bigger and better things in the future.
As you can tell, we're working towards saying goodbye to our graduates, but without match results to update and having written a lot already, I'll save that for a separate post. Still, there is one more player who has been instrumental in this season being so incredibly special. I talked about everyone leading and Seana has not only been a joy for me to coach and everyone to be around, but she is a model of what it means to be a teammate. As her tennis improves and she brings her big serve and forehand to doubles and singles, she has stepped up her consistency. But what I really want to highlight goes back to her leadership. You need great trust from your teammates and Seana earns this every day with her efforts, sense of playfulness and mostly her loyalty as she'll back up a teammate in any situation. You also need great communication and Seana is exemplary. She came to me during the season to talk about next year and her desire to commit more to other interests she has on campus. As we talked it through, her passion for tennis and the team were so evident. The most influential people in our lives commit to what they do 100% and while I am so excited to see Seana lead in other arena's on campus with her 100% commitment, we will miss her daily presence and leadership on our team. I can hope that she rejoins us, but if that isn't the case it will be because she has found and stoked passions in other areas of her life. So, thank you Seana for two special years, for trusting us and giving 100% of yourself and sharing the big tennis and bright light that you are with us.
So, my next posts will celebrate our seniors moving on to some wonderful things and also look forward to meeting our four incoming players (many of whom have birthday's coming up!).
Thanks for reading and sharing in our special season as we gear up and look ahead to an even brighter future in 2015-2016!
Coach John
Friday, May 1, 2015
Much to celebrate and still lots to do
 |
| Allie showing the form that helped her clinch the NWC Tournament Championship |
 |
| Your 2015 NWC Regular Season and Tournament Champions...On to NCAA's |
But speaking of special, I can also report that we had our end of season team banquet last weekend and along with enjoying each others company along with our friends and families who were in town, Erin Bell was a rock star in putting together a tribute to this years team and especially our four amazing seniors Erin, Morgan, Maddy and Courtney. It's so special to know that their careers will continue, but here are links to photos from the weekend by Erin as well as her video from the season. The photos can be downloaded so please share and enjoy!
Photos on our flickr page:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tennislove/sets/72157649911121604/
Erin's end of year video on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl_R1w1cUFM&feature=youtu.be
There is even more to celebrate with four all conference players; Jenna and Courtney were named first team and Morgan and Allie second team, congrats! Courtney also received her third Northwest Conference player of the year award and we also got the NWC Coach of the year honors. You can read about the awards online here.
Next up for us is the NCAA tournament. With and automatic bid we are just waiting for selection day Monday to see where we'll go and who we play. Our first match will either be Thursday, Friday or Saturday next week. There are so many subtle things that could affect the schedule, I'll wait until we get it to let you all know what's happening. What I can tell you for sure is that practice has been fun and intense as we prepare for our best tennis of the season.
Thanks for all your support!
John
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Celebrate and then Get Back to Work
 |
| The team at the Farrell's house |
Happy Passover and belated Easter,
This past holiday weekend, our team faced an incredible challenge in coming off of Spring Break and hitting the road to play the two toughest teams (right now) in our conference. It was all focus and excitement as we built up to this trip and there was no disappointment in either the results or how we got them as we beat #37 ranked Linfield 7-2 and pulled off a thrilling win over #31 Lewis and Clark.
In sports, belief is huge when you play someone of equal talent. Our team continues to grow and this weekend all of the things we work so hard at each day in practice, through spending time bonding, and in our goals for how we compete with intensity and sportsmanship each match led to the kind of team belief you need to overcome great opponents.
Saturday we took on Linfield. Always a tough well coached team, they added some serious punch to their lineup with first years at 1,2, 4 and 6! The young cats competed really well scoring a win at #1 singles and #2 doubles. Each of these matches was incredibly well played and while I'm sure we'd like a few opportunities back in dubs, Erin and Tree kept to their game and forced their opponents to play an incredible proset. This year has been a steady uphill climb for Courtney who has overcome illness and lack of playing and practice time to get closer to full strength. Her form is coming as she split sets with the hottest player in the conference this Spring. The best part was playing out in the sun and getting 6 doubles matches so our tandems of Lindsey/Seana, Alex/Jenna G and Jenna D and Allie all added to the fun with great energy and doubles play. This carried into singles where we used all 9 courts and even got a tenth set of play in. On the day, our depth and resolve was tested but came through as we won the match 7-2 and including exhibitions went 14-2! Some highlights were Allie righting the ship after a quick first set loss to roll in 3 sets 1-6,6-1,6-0, Alex, Tree and Maddy sweeping the matches indoors while we battled outside and Morgan playing a player she has had trouble with in the past and clinching a straight sets win.
After the match, the Webster's treated us to an easter egg hunt and the Farrell's (sorry Mike, I mean Katie Farrell) treated us to a fantastic dinner with everyone who was at the match.
Easter Sunday was the showdown between the two remaining undefeated teams in our conference and on their 4 indoor courts, we made a strong start going up 2-1 in doubles. The young Pio's however are tough at every spot and they fought back with 3 wins at #1,#3 and #4 to go up 4-2. At that point, Jenna having been down 0-3 in the first had come back to win 6-4 and was on serve but up in the second. Lindsey was just starting but quickly showed she was in control already up 5-0 in the first set and Erin had a close first set where she struggled to find the right plays dropping it 7-5. So, with three matches on, we needed them all. Jenna finished off an intense second set for a 6-4,6-4 win over the #20 player in the West region to pull us to 3-4 and Lindsey took the first and was cruising in the second, showing poise beyond her years. This left the fate of the match squarely on EBell on court one in front of both teams, the home crowd and a very vocal group of Whitman faithful. Erin embraced the responsibility, settled into her game and was a picture of controlled intensity winning 5-7, 6-3,6-2. Just before the final point, Jenna G had a great win at #7 in a proset and Hanna came back from an early 2-5 deficit at #8 to win there as well!
Everything we do is building for these moments and I'm so thrilled that the team was able to enjoy the battle, empower each other and truly believe that no matter what the score was, our fight would carry the day. With this win, we're in the drivers seat for hosting the conference tournament. We face three teams we've played already and beaten and one we haven't played. But it isn't just who we play that give me great confidence that we can bring the conference tournament back to Walla Walla, but its that we're getting better each week. The schedule is below and if you get the chance to watch any tennis in the next three weeks, I don't think you'll be dissapointed.
It also helps to have an incredible support system and our weekend was not only incredible on court, but it was so fun to stay with the Farrell's and Whittaker's. Katie and Mike's house is like a second home to Jen and I as they are the friends who introduced us and that is where we had our wedding and it was amazing to have them open their home to the team, parents and alums who were there for the matches. It was very fitting that they did it in a team fashion though, as their neighbors Tom and Kit are Whitman alums who hosted part of the team. Appreciation is only the tip of the iceberg to explain what it means to have such great community around us and I speak for the team in saying the biggest thank you to these two amazing families as well as the Greenberg's, Webster's, Gilbert's, Brodeck's and McKelvey's who spent their Easter screaming their lungs out with every tough get and huge winner that got us closer to our goal of winning conference.
Here are some photos from our time in Wilsonville!
 |
| Thanks everyone for making the weekend so special! |
 |
| Maddy and Roddick |
 |
| Our Easter Egg Hunt courtesy of the Webster's |
 |
| Found Eggs! |
 |
| Recovering from the matches or the egg hunt? |
Thanks to the everyone for being a part of WhitWomen's Tennis, I'm enjoying every step in this journey.
Coach John
Upcoming events:
Saturday April 11th - away doubleheader, at Pacific 9am, at Willamette 3pm
Saturday April 18th - at Pacific Lutheran 1pm
Sunday April 19th - at University of Puget Sound 10am
Friday/Saturday April 24th-25th (location TBD, Walla Walla if we win all our remaining matches) - Northwest Conference Championships
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Gratitude, Guts and Great Tennis
I'm not sure I can convey in one post just how special our spring break trip was. We ended up 1-3 on the trip versus some tough top 30 ranked teams, you can check the WC Website here for results because if I go through each match then this post would be lengthy indeed. I will mention that while you'll see the incredible matches played by Courtney, Morgan, Erin, Katrina, Hanna and Maddy in doubles and Courtney, Jenna D, Morgan, Allie, Erin, Lindsey and Alex in singles I'd like to highlight that in 3 of the four matches we played at least 4 doubles and 9 singles so all 12 of our amazing players got to compete against some of the best competition in DIII. I'm so proud of Seana and Jenna G who both got great match play to improve but also notched some wins in singles and doubles.
These trips are such an integral part of our season and you alums will know just how much they enhance the quality of experience we have. We're so grateful for all the support we have from Whitman but also from donors and fundraisers (yes, Tennis and Campers, your good times go to a GREAT cause!). Without your help we wouldn't be able to take all 12 players. It is rare for teams to travel with their entire roster, but for us it is so important to build unity and have this experience of top tennis and time together to bond for everyone.
It was amazing to feel the dynamic on this team which was already so incredible get even stronger. This week also brought an overwhelming amount of love and support of families who hosted us, hung out and cheered us on, thanks Marilyn, all of Team D, Bob and Annie, Anne, Ken B, all the Gilbert's, and the Wallin's. There is also not much better than alums at matches, way to get down from your job in the bay area Hannah Pals! It's easy to see where our players get their wonderful attitudes from and having you here is something they talked about after the last match as being such a special way to recognize what we do. I can't say enough how grateful we are for everyone out there supporting us, following tweets, texting in and being there for the team.
Speaking of the team, not only am I fortunate to coach wonderful people, but the level of tennis this week was outstanding. While we are always striving to improve, each day we left everything on the court. It might not have showed in the Bowdoin scores, which I'll attribute partly to us just not executing as well as we're capable of, but they showed why they belong in the top 10 as they did little things super well and great consistency. It was the right match to start our trip as it honed our focus and helped us practice hard on Tuesday (special shout out to Lori, Bday boy Joel and Spanish Hills Club in Camarillo!) and come out Wednesday to get a huge win at La Verne. The Leo's are a solid team who came up with the goods against us last year and it was a big boost for us as a program to come back from 1-2 in doubles and also to showcase the depth we know we have winning at #3-6 plus at #7,8,9 and #4 doubles. This was the second top 20 win we've had in my time here and it was a well deserved win. The next day we had an interesting matchup with Vassar, who also beat La Verne 5-4. Predictably it was close and with three matches on we were down 2-4, but Erin was up a set and a break and Allie and Jenna had each just split to gain momentum. Hat's off to Vassar for responding with two third set wins to take the match. This was our first ever meeting (to my knowledge) between the two teams and I saw a lot of similarities. Like us, they were intense and tough, but they also had terrific sportsmanship and really nice people on the team, which is something we strive for.
Our last match was another West region showdown at Redlands. This was the Gilbert family dream as Jenna's sister Alyssa plays for Redlands so I'm glad they got to all be there for the match. The bulldogs are a seasoned team and they brought it from start to finish as both teams battled hard. I put guts in the title of this post because our team has so much fight and this match was one where we could have went away, but we battled as usual until the last ball. That last ball came in Jenna's super tie break at #2. A week ago Jenna was down and out with a nasty virus, but she bounced back and played three 3 setters in three days - what a testament to her skill and conditioning which is a reflection of everyone on the team.
So, back to gratitude, I have to thank each member of the team for an amazing, fun and memorable spring break. I'm amazed by how far we've come competing as a unit, and as always, the off court times were full of fun and laughter. And, as good as the tennis was, we learned a lot and are motivated to get back together and keep improving for the second half of our conference season.
Thanks for reading, and after we enjoy a week off, we'll be back at it with a conference road trip the first weekend in April at Linfield and Lewis and Clark in showdowns of the three nationally ranked teams in our conference!
Best,
John
These trips are such an integral part of our season and you alums will know just how much they enhance the quality of experience we have. We're so grateful for all the support we have from Whitman but also from donors and fundraisers (yes, Tennis and Campers, your good times go to a GREAT cause!). Without your help we wouldn't be able to take all 12 players. It is rare for teams to travel with their entire roster, but for us it is so important to build unity and have this experience of top tennis and time together to bond for everyone.
It was amazing to feel the dynamic on this team which was already so incredible get even stronger. This week also brought an overwhelming amount of love and support of families who hosted us, hung out and cheered us on, thanks Marilyn, all of Team D, Bob and Annie, Anne, Ken B, all the Gilbert's, and the Wallin's. There is also not much better than alums at matches, way to get down from your job in the bay area Hannah Pals! It's easy to see where our players get their wonderful attitudes from and having you here is something they talked about after the last match as being such a special way to recognize what we do. I can't say enough how grateful we are for everyone out there supporting us, following tweets, texting in and being there for the team.
Speaking of the team, not only am I fortunate to coach wonderful people, but the level of tennis this week was outstanding. While we are always striving to improve, each day we left everything on the court. It might not have showed in the Bowdoin scores, which I'll attribute partly to us just not executing as well as we're capable of, but they showed why they belong in the top 10 as they did little things super well and great consistency. It was the right match to start our trip as it honed our focus and helped us practice hard on Tuesday (special shout out to Lori, Bday boy Joel and Spanish Hills Club in Camarillo!) and come out Wednesday to get a huge win at La Verne. The Leo's are a solid team who came up with the goods against us last year and it was a big boost for us as a program to come back from 1-2 in doubles and also to showcase the depth we know we have winning at #3-6 plus at #7,8,9 and #4 doubles. This was the second top 20 win we've had in my time here and it was a well deserved win. The next day we had an interesting matchup with Vassar, who also beat La Verne 5-4. Predictably it was close and with three matches on we were down 2-4, but Erin was up a set and a break and Allie and Jenna had each just split to gain momentum. Hat's off to Vassar for responding with two third set wins to take the match. This was our first ever meeting (to my knowledge) between the two teams and I saw a lot of similarities. Like us, they were intense and tough, but they also had terrific sportsmanship and really nice people on the team, which is something we strive for.
Our last match was another West region showdown at Redlands. This was the Gilbert family dream as Jenna's sister Alyssa plays for Redlands so I'm glad they got to all be there for the match. The bulldogs are a seasoned team and they brought it from start to finish as both teams battled hard. I put guts in the title of this post because our team has so much fight and this match was one where we could have went away, but we battled as usual until the last ball. That last ball came in Jenna's super tie break at #2. A week ago Jenna was down and out with a nasty virus, but she bounced back and played three 3 setters in three days - what a testament to her skill and conditioning which is a reflection of everyone on the team.
So, back to gratitude, I have to thank each member of the team for an amazing, fun and memorable spring break. I'm amazed by how far we've come competing as a unit, and as always, the off court times were full of fun and laughter. And, as good as the tennis was, we learned a lot and are motivated to get back together and keep improving for the second half of our conference season.
Thanks for reading, and after we enjoy a week off, we'll be back at it with a conference road trip the first weekend in April at Linfield and Lewis and Clark in showdowns of the three nationally ranked teams in our conference!
Best,
John
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Spring Break Part 1
Hello Whitman Tennis Fans!
I'm so excited to write you from gorgeous Camarillo, CA. After finishing an undefeated first half of our conference season, the team flew down to Southern California Sunday for a series of matches with nationally ranked DIII teams.
Perhaps our toughest test came yesterday in our first match as we squared off with #6 ranked Bowdoin. The Polar Bears are well deserving of their top 10 ranking and after some really fun competitive doubles highlighted by Maddy and Hanna pushing it to 7-9 at the three spot. For everyone it was great tennis and while it didn't show up on the scoreboard, we showed some great strength, shotmaking and perseverance. It was a terrific match to start our trip and push us to play better and better as the week goes on.
Today is our off day from matches, but we're up in Camarillo enjoying amazing hospitality from the Dobrin clan and also the Spanish Hills tennis club where we had a terrific practice today.
We're back on court tomorrow at 1pm vs #17 ranked University of LaVerne as we look to avenge last years 5-4 battle and move up in the rankings. I've got a lot of confidence in this team and can't wait to update you again. For now, we're enjoying each others company immensely as we prepare for LaVerne.
You can follow scores as always on Twitter @coachhein and @whitwomentennis and now the team has an instagram account that they made if you're on that.
Thanks for following us!
Coach John
Upcoming matches:
Wed 3/18 1pm #17 University of La Verne at the Claremont Club
Thurs 3/19 10am #30 Vassar at University High School (Irvine)
Fri 3/20 3pm #22 University of Redlands
I'm so excited to write you from gorgeous Camarillo, CA. After finishing an undefeated first half of our conference season, the team flew down to Southern California Sunday for a series of matches with nationally ranked DIII teams.
Perhaps our toughest test came yesterday in our first match as we squared off with #6 ranked Bowdoin. The Polar Bears are well deserving of their top 10 ranking and after some really fun competitive doubles highlighted by Maddy and Hanna pushing it to 7-9 at the three spot. For everyone it was great tennis and while it didn't show up on the scoreboard, we showed some great strength, shotmaking and perseverance. It was a terrific match to start our trip and push us to play better and better as the week goes on.
Today is our off day from matches, but we're up in Camarillo enjoying amazing hospitality from the Dobrin clan and also the Spanish Hills tennis club where we had a terrific practice today.
We're back on court tomorrow at 1pm vs #17 ranked University of LaVerne as we look to avenge last years 5-4 battle and move up in the rankings. I've got a lot of confidence in this team and can't wait to update you again. For now, we're enjoying each others company immensely as we prepare for LaVerne.
You can follow scores as always on Twitter @coachhein and @whitwomentennis and now the team has an instagram account that they made if you're on that.
Thanks for following us!
Coach John
Upcoming matches:
Wed 3/18 1pm #17 University of La Verne at the Claremont Club
Thurs 3/19 10am #30 Vassar at University High School (Irvine)
Fri 3/20 3pm #22 University of Redlands
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Spring Break and a belated thanks
First, I'm sorry for the lack of a recap of the Whitman Winter Classic Feb 27-Mar 1. It was a phenomenal event with 8 dual matches on campus in 3 days. We welcomed our friends from Whittier and UT Tyler, both coming in with preseason ITA national rankings of #38 and #39 respectively. I think its a great thing that the ITA has gone to ranking 40 teams nationally. It really showcases the depth and talent of DIII tennis. Speaking of depth, it was the Northwest Conference who really stepped up that weekend, going a combined 6-0 versus Tyler and Whittier. On the strength of those wins, both Lewis and Clark and Linfield have moved into the top 40 while we remain at #29, poised for an exciting spring break.
My first thank you goes to Dean Snider and Gregg Petcoff in our athletic department. Dean has been working tirelessly to move Whitman to a true student athlete model where our players are supported well in their athletics along with the tremendous classroom support they get at Whitman. This makes for an enhanced education and truly special experience, I know as hard as I worked at college tennis it would have been wonderful to have some of the support Whitman is now providing. I mention Gregg because as our sports communication director, he makes sure scores are posted, articles up, helps me with the live stream (though we are still working some things out, I think it worked well) and many other things to highlight and share what our team is doing. Also, on a weekend with matches morning to night, John Eckel, Nathan Fry and our training staff did an amazing job keeping everyone on the court playing, thanks guys!
It would be hard to have an amazing weekend of tennis without fans. To the Dobrin's, Gilbert's, Sigouin's, Alice, Mark and Sandy, all the students, faculty, staff, alums and friends in the Walla Walla community who make Whitman one of the most fun, exciting and positive venues for tennis in all of DIII, we can't thank you enough.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, moving on as we are near the weekend, which means one thing - more matches! After a well deserved weekend off, practices have been great gearing up for this weekends conference matches and next weeks big spring break trip to California! I'll provide the schedule here as I'll make an effort to post lots of photos, maybe some video and probably match by match postings this week.
We have a great schedule with UPS and PLU visiting Friday and Saturday followed by matches vs 4 nationally ranked teams on break. If you're in Southern California and haven't let me know already, I'd love to hear if you'll be at the matches, they should be terrific tennis!
Friday 6pm at home (note the time change) - University of Puget Sound - probably outdoors so no livestream
Saturday 1pm at home - Pacific Lutheran University - forecast is for rain so maybe indoors which would have livestream.
Monday 10am at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Bizantz Tennis Center - #6 Bowdoin
Wednesday 1pm at the Claremont Club - #17 La Verne
Thursday 10am at University High School, Irvine, CA - #30 Vassar
*after the Vassar match the team will host a BBQ for all families, friends, and fans so please contact me to RSVP
Friday 3pm at #22 Redlands
We hope to see you in CA, or have you follow us on our webpage, twitter, or facebook.
Coach John
heinj@whitman.edu
My first thank you goes to Dean Snider and Gregg Petcoff in our athletic department. Dean has been working tirelessly to move Whitman to a true student athlete model where our players are supported well in their athletics along with the tremendous classroom support they get at Whitman. This makes for an enhanced education and truly special experience, I know as hard as I worked at college tennis it would have been wonderful to have some of the support Whitman is now providing. I mention Gregg because as our sports communication director, he makes sure scores are posted, articles up, helps me with the live stream (though we are still working some things out, I think it worked well) and many other things to highlight and share what our team is doing. Also, on a weekend with matches morning to night, John Eckel, Nathan Fry and our training staff did an amazing job keeping everyone on the court playing, thanks guys!
It would be hard to have an amazing weekend of tennis without fans. To the Dobrin's, Gilbert's, Sigouin's, Alice, Mark and Sandy, all the students, faculty, staff, alums and friends in the Walla Walla community who make Whitman one of the most fun, exciting and positive venues for tennis in all of DIII, we can't thank you enough.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, moving on as we are near the weekend, which means one thing - more matches! After a well deserved weekend off, practices have been great gearing up for this weekends conference matches and next weeks big spring break trip to California! I'll provide the schedule here as I'll make an effort to post lots of photos, maybe some video and probably match by match postings this week.
We have a great schedule with UPS and PLU visiting Friday and Saturday followed by matches vs 4 nationally ranked teams on break. If you're in Southern California and haven't let me know already, I'd love to hear if you'll be at the matches, they should be terrific tennis!
Friday 6pm at home (note the time change) - University of Puget Sound - probably outdoors so no livestream
Saturday 1pm at home - Pacific Lutheran University - forecast is for rain so maybe indoors which would have livestream.
Monday 10am at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Bizantz Tennis Center - #6 Bowdoin
Wednesday 1pm at the Claremont Club - #17 La Verne
Thursday 10am at University High School, Irvine, CA - #30 Vassar
*after the Vassar match the team will host a BBQ for all families, friends, and fans so please contact me to RSVP
Friday 3pm at #22 Redlands
We hope to see you in CA, or have you follow us on our webpage, twitter, or facebook.
Coach John
heinj@whitman.edu
Monday, February 23, 2015
Home matches, Walla Walla Weather and the Winter Classic
Hi everyone,
So, I was halfway through a post last week about our road trip to Spokane. As I fumbled with the keyboard and my thoughts on our amazing seniors who led us to victory over conference rival Whitworth, Whitman's student newspaper, the Pioneer beat me to it. If you haven't already, you can read about our season outlook especially what Morgan, Erin, Maddy and Courtney bring to this team here.
Starting the season with three tough road matches, it was so nice to return home. We had a wonderful week of February weather with outdoor practices and sunny warm days on Ankeny. However, the weekend brought a cold snap and an overnight shower Friday so we tried to play George Fox outside, but had to go in for doubles while the courts dried before coming outside to play singles in the sun. This team can handle anything and we swept all four doubles again with great leadership from the top with Courtney and Morgan, but tremendous play from Seana and Lindsey at #3 to beat a Fox team that is probably their toughest point in the lineup. At #2, the duo of Maddy and Hanna brought big energy for the sweep and Alex and Jenna G played an exhibition that they swept 8-0. Moving outside, all three first years got on court and Jenna and Hanna won quickly to seal the match. Courtney finished next to keep the first years from a 1,2,3 finish, then Lindsey battled through her second set while Allie stayed focused to also win in 2 sets. This all set up a big third set tie break from Jenna D, who played some of her best tennis when it counted to get the win. I really like the direction George Fox is going, which is indicitive of our whole conference; we're all getting deeper and more talented, but even more than that they way they compete is with class and great sportsmanship.
Sunday it got even colder, so we agreed to start and stay inside (I hope some of you enjoyed the live streaming, send me feedback if it worked/didn't work or if we can make it better). Pacific brought a young, athletic team and their big hitting duo of Kaitlyn Lomartire and Jelena Vidovic faced off with Courtney and Morgan at 1 dubs. This brought out the best of the twins in the young season as they improved both their shot execution and court coverage for a key 8-6 win at 1 doubles. First off, however were 2 and 4 doubles (exhibition). Again, Alex and Jenna G (Little J) were solid in scoring an 8-0 win and Erin and Katrina dominated 8-1 to get us on the scoreboard. At #3, Jenna D and Allie used great serving and big groundies to win points or set up net finishes and put us up 3-0 after doubles.
In singles, at #3-6 we got straight set wins from Allie, Erin, Alex and Little J with Allie doing just about everything right, Erin fighting hard when her opponent tried to make a run, Alex dominated start to finish and Jenna fought through some of her own unforced errors to lock down her match. While Courtney rested, Morgan battled at #2 and while the scoreline of 1-6,2-6 looks daunting, Jelena is a great player who looks to be playing some of the best tennis in our conference right from the start of the season and the second set really could have swung Mo's way early before Jelena came up with some huge shots on key points. The #1 match was the battle of the day with two big hitting baseliners going at it. Jenna fought through a tight first set and came up with some huge winners to seal it. Then, Kaitlyn got it going and was up a break 4-1 in the second. Jenna stayed focused and got the break back and broke again to win 6-4,6-4. It was a great match for both players and we enjoyed the level of hitting and athleticism both brought.
But, that was just a warm up for the Bratton Tennis Center. We'll host the Whitman Winter Classic this Friday through Sunday. We're talking about so much great tennis all day long in Bratton! Coming to town are the #38 ranked Whittier Poets and #39 Texas Tyler Patriots to play us, Linfield (#10 West) and Lewis and Clark (#15 West). The Poets are an up and coming team with one of the top singles players in the West and UT Tyler is always at or near the top of their conference and last year we faced them in the first round of NCAA's scoring hard fought 5-4 win. The action will start each morning and go until we finish each night, and if that's not enough for you - at the end, Whitworth comes to town for our second of two NWC matches with them.
Friday 2/27
9am Whitman vs Whittier (WC v WC)
1 pm (not before) UT Tyler vs Lewis and Clark
5pm (not before) Whittier vs Linfield
Saturday 2/28
9am UT Tyler v Whittier
1pm (not before) UT Tyler v Linfield
5pm (not before) Whittier v Lewis and Clark
Sunday 3/1
9am Whitman vs UT Tyler
1pm (not before) Whitman vs Whitworth
Live streaming will be through the Whitman athletics website there is either a camera link on the schedule or you click on Multimedia and Live stream to watch all 4 courts! Scoring will most likely be via twitter, but we're working on if we can get it on the livestream or put up a scoreboard somehow.
Those of you coming to Walla Walla, we'll plan on a team/family/alum dinner Saturday night - I haven't worked out the details so get in touch if you'll be there or would like to help plan!
Thanks for following WC Women's Tennis!
John
heinj@whitman.edu
509.301.8502
So, I was halfway through a post last week about our road trip to Spokane. As I fumbled with the keyboard and my thoughts on our amazing seniors who led us to victory over conference rival Whitworth, Whitman's student newspaper, the Pioneer beat me to it. If you haven't already, you can read about our season outlook especially what Morgan, Erin, Maddy and Courtney bring to this team here.
Starting the season with three tough road matches, it was so nice to return home. We had a wonderful week of February weather with outdoor practices and sunny warm days on Ankeny. However, the weekend brought a cold snap and an overnight shower Friday so we tried to play George Fox outside, but had to go in for doubles while the courts dried before coming outside to play singles in the sun. This team can handle anything and we swept all four doubles again with great leadership from the top with Courtney and Morgan, but tremendous play from Seana and Lindsey at #3 to beat a Fox team that is probably their toughest point in the lineup. At #2, the duo of Maddy and Hanna brought big energy for the sweep and Alex and Jenna G played an exhibition that they swept 8-0. Moving outside, all three first years got on court and Jenna and Hanna won quickly to seal the match. Courtney finished next to keep the first years from a 1,2,3 finish, then Lindsey battled through her second set while Allie stayed focused to also win in 2 sets. This all set up a big third set tie break from Jenna D, who played some of her best tennis when it counted to get the win. I really like the direction George Fox is going, which is indicitive of our whole conference; we're all getting deeper and more talented, but even more than that they way they compete is with class and great sportsmanship.
Sunday it got even colder, so we agreed to start and stay inside (I hope some of you enjoyed the live streaming, send me feedback if it worked/didn't work or if we can make it better). Pacific brought a young, athletic team and their big hitting duo of Kaitlyn Lomartire and Jelena Vidovic faced off with Courtney and Morgan at 1 dubs. This brought out the best of the twins in the young season as they improved both their shot execution and court coverage for a key 8-6 win at 1 doubles. First off, however were 2 and 4 doubles (exhibition). Again, Alex and Jenna G (Little J) were solid in scoring an 8-0 win and Erin and Katrina dominated 8-1 to get us on the scoreboard. At #3, Jenna D and Allie used great serving and big groundies to win points or set up net finishes and put us up 3-0 after doubles.
 |
| Cheering on Courtney and Morgan vs Pacifc |
In singles, at #3-6 we got straight set wins from Allie, Erin, Alex and Little J with Allie doing just about everything right, Erin fighting hard when her opponent tried to make a run, Alex dominated start to finish and Jenna fought through some of her own unforced errors to lock down her match. While Courtney rested, Morgan battled at #2 and while the scoreline of 1-6,2-6 looks daunting, Jelena is a great player who looks to be playing some of the best tennis in our conference right from the start of the season and the second set really could have swung Mo's way early before Jelena came up with some huge shots on key points. The #1 match was the battle of the day with two big hitting baseliners going at it. Jenna fought through a tight first set and came up with some huge winners to seal it. Then, Kaitlyn got it going and was up a break 4-1 in the second. Jenna stayed focused and got the break back and broke again to win 6-4,6-4. It was a great match for both players and we enjoyed the level of hitting and athleticism both brought.
But, that was just a warm up for the Bratton Tennis Center. We'll host the Whitman Winter Classic this Friday through Sunday. We're talking about so much great tennis all day long in Bratton! Coming to town are the #38 ranked Whittier Poets and #39 Texas Tyler Patriots to play us, Linfield (#10 West) and Lewis and Clark (#15 West). The Poets are an up and coming team with one of the top singles players in the West and UT Tyler is always at or near the top of their conference and last year we faced them in the first round of NCAA's scoring hard fought 5-4 win. The action will start each morning and go until we finish each night, and if that's not enough for you - at the end, Whitworth comes to town for our second of two NWC matches with them.
Friday 2/27
9am Whitman vs Whittier (WC v WC)
1 pm (not before) UT Tyler vs Lewis and Clark
5pm (not before) Whittier vs Linfield
Saturday 2/28
9am UT Tyler v Whittier
1pm (not before) UT Tyler v Linfield
5pm (not before) Whittier v Lewis and Clark
Sunday 3/1
9am Whitman vs UT Tyler
1pm (not before) Whitman vs Whitworth
Live streaming will be through the Whitman athletics website there is either a camera link on the schedule or you click on Multimedia and Live stream to watch all 4 courts! Scoring will most likely be via twitter, but we're working on if we can get it on the livestream or put up a scoreboard somehow.
Those of you coming to Walla Walla, we'll plan on a team/family/alum dinner Saturday night - I haven't worked out the details so get in touch if you'll be there or would like to help plan!
Thanks for following WC Women's Tennis!
John
heinj@whitman.edu
509.301.8502
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
