At Whitman, any contests between ourselves and our neighbors to the north in Spokane are always a big deal. And with our schedule being a 1 and a half round robin in conference, this year we played the Pirates once and had to do it on the road at their place. It was a great day for the Battle of Whits as we started the day with a resounding 8-1 win and then in the nightcap our men's basketball team upset #3 Whitworth to move on to the sweet 16 of the NCAA tourney this weekend!
Our day started brightly as our hosts the Fennessy's were outstanding and got us a good nights sleep and a solid start. We were well taken care of once we arrived at Whitworth with Emily Rolston (Anthropology 2012, Century Club member) and her dad Layne coming from Missoula to cheer us on and provide yummy healthy snacks, thanks so much Layne and Em!
On the court, we decided Jenna could use another couple days rest from a mild injury and Cello was battling a nasty illness so hadn't been able to train much that week. Fortunately, our team is so deep and it was incredible to see everyone step up and play great start to finish earning a big win and building our momentum as we head into spring break.
In doubles, Allie and Lindsey set the tone winning easily, but Hanna and Mary were in a close battle from the start and Jana and Lil J got down 0-4! It was great to see #3 dubs fight back and establish their presence pushing the Pirates to a tie break. At #1, we were trading breaks but couldn't find any separation and give a lot of credit to Whitworth for the 8-6 win, which has done nothing but fire up Hanna and Mary in practice this week - watch out! In the tie break, Jenna and Jana showed tremendous composure, served great and played great at the net to take it and give us a 2-1 lead going into singles.
Here, on 3 courts with players stepping up, Allie and Lindsey again led the way with efficient straight set wins. Mary started slowly but won 6-3,6-1 at #1 to clinch the match. After that it was just wonderful fun to see Lil J, Jana and Lori go to work to sweep the singles and send us home with a well deserved win. Jenna D added great coaching and Cello found energy between coughs to be a huge cheering presence start to finish.
Allie was our Whittie of the match for her ruthless efficiency, making good players look very pedestrian and I was also impressed with Lil J and Jana fighting against opponents who competed with a ton of heart and made them work for each point. Finally, it was cool to play in the bubble (not something I usually say as I'm spoiled with our wonderful outdoor courts and indoor facility) because Lori was flat out unloading on the ball, cracking winners that echoed off the walls and led to thunderous cheers from the bench. Her strokes have been great from day one, but to see her build so much strength is a testament to her adjustment to life and school in the US as well as her incredible work ethic putting in extra fitness and tennis - always with a smile.
Stay tuned for news from this weekend as we travel to Oregon to rematch Willamette at 10am Saturday and then Linfield at 10am Sunday before we fly to California for our spring break trip!
If you're in the area, come on over to Salem and McMinnville to cheer on this amazing group of incredibly talented student athletes.
Cheers,
Coach John
News from Coach John Hein
Summer Tennis Camps and Events:
Team Photo's on Flickr!
Coaching Philosophy
To me, being a college student is about opportunity and growth. As a coach, I consider myself lucky to spend 4 years providing opportunity while nurturing growth. We use common goals, hard work, open communication, respect and accountability as means to building meaningful relationships and improving each player’s skill set on and off the court. This means embodying championship virtues to inspire athletic, academic and personal growth that not only happens while you are at Whitman, but becomes a part of who you are throughout life.