 |
| Lil Mo driving a backhand |
We have been talking about how to bring the right energy into a match and today with 4 first year players in the doubles lineup in front of their home crowd for the first time, there were certainly a few jitters, but on all three courts our teamwork and practice paid off as we were up in every match. Emily and Morgan set the tone at 2, with an amazing display of smart but aggressive doubles, calmly taking an 8-0 win to put us up 1-0. With many more deuce games, the freshman duo of Erin and Maddy came through when it counted each time to follow with a big 8-1 win at 3. 1 doubles was a bit scary because the Pacific team is two seniors who have played together for 4 years and have always been one of the top teams in conference and each year they get wins over the highest ranked teams. Still, Courtney and Alyssa traded games to 2-3, then tightened things up to roll to 6-3, then 7-4 where they looked poised to put it away. Then, as can happen in a proset, a couple things that they usually do really well just didn't happen, then Pacific played some great points and suddenly it is 7-7. Not to be denied the doubles sweep, they came together as a team, played their game and finished with a strong hold and break to win 9-7.
Singles, as super SID Dave Holden writes, was not as thrilling in a good way for us. Both Courtney and Morgan made very good players look average in 6-0,6-0 wins to clinch the match. Courtney probably had the tougher opponent, but her game seems to get bigger and bigger each week as she is transitioning from defense to offense so routinely now and that really made the difference in a match that could have been very close. Morgan was my pick for co-Whittie of the Match as she was so efficient and just like doubles was really blending smart, consistent play with timely offense, a deadly combination that keeps her game growing as well. On the other end of the tennis center was KKP. Kate has had some tough goes in singles this spring after taking the fall off and having big expectations for herself. Today was a terrific step towards showing everyone the player she is as it was probably her most solid day off the ground on top of serving very effectively and once she found a way to break her opponent, she was off to the races with a 6-3,6-1 win. Alyssa, again playing a dangerously fast and talented opponent who beat her once last year, took a little while in the first set to find her range, but once she did the result was amazing tennis from both players as they both cover so much court and have great offensive shots from anywhere. ShoPo pulled out the first 6-4 and didn't look back, taking the second 6-1 in a triumphant return from a nasty cold that lingered for a couple weeks.
 |
| Em closing on a volley |
Next on was Emily, and as she and Charlotte are my first class of Whitties who have played all four years I've been here, I can't say enough about both of them as players and people. However, putting aside nostalgia or comparisons of how much Em has amazed me with her nonstop improvement, she is simply a great player and she showed that today in how she was able to use her weapons with great intelligence and poise in a 6-3,6-4 win. Our third senior, Lizzy, who is only in her second season on the team again showed why she is so clutch. With the match decided and only the die hard fans joining her teammates in cheering, she got down 1-5 in the second set after a very nice first set win. At this point, I'm thinking, ok Lizzy, just get things going like the first set so you have your game in order for the super tie break. Then I remembered how hard Lizzy fights for each point and how much she's improved her endurance so a comeback was certainly a possibility. Well, she joined Lil Mo as co Whittie of the Match with a steady barrage of hardworking games to tie the second set at 5-5 and even take a 6-5 lead. With one game to go, her opponent loosened up, made some great plays and we were in a tiebreak for the second set. Here, Lizzy had all the momentum and won to seal the 9-0 win! Meanwhile, Hadley was not fazed by her first set loss, but calmly made the necessary adjustment to win the second set and then as both players found their best tennis, fought her way with great fitness and amazing determination to win the super tie break for a 4-6, 6-3, 11-9 victory. Hannah was great on court with our AC Seth on a trip to Seattle discussing his Politics research with the mayor (go Seth!), and Zoe K-P's cheering made it feel like there must have been more supporters in Bratton than the fire marshall allows; thanks ladies.
It was so much fun to be at home, thanks to all the fans who cheered us on, it means a lot to have your support. Also thanks to Big Cheese Pizza and the USTA and ITA for joining forces to provide free pizza to all in attendance. I hope all the kids enjoyed the tennis, and that some of you saw your, "coaches" from clinics and camps and were inspired by their play, I know I was.
Next week, we are again at home with Lewis and Clark on Friday and George Fox on Saturday before we head to Texas for Spring Break....wow, I can't believe its March, time flies when you're loving life, and this team has a special magic that makes time go by very fast indeed.
Best wishes to all,
Coach John
