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

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.

Lori serving at practice

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.

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!