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