The Whitworth Pirates have had very solid teams in my four years here at Whitman. They have talent, depth and compete hard every time out which has led to them claiming three straight NWC Championships and leaving them as the only team from the conference in my time here that we had't won against. Until now that is.
Yesterday, we were on the road in Spokane and a rainy morning forced us into the three court bubble they have. The momentum we built on spring break definitely carried into doubles as we came out very strong in all 3 spots and then while 2 and 3 won convincingly, Whitworth's 1 team mounted a charge which Alyssa and Courtney held off to complete the doubles sweep. At 2, Em and Morgan moved really well and played smart aggressive doubles and at 3 Hannah and Maddy did a great job adjusting in the first few games before imposing their tennis on Whitworth.
Getting right back to work, Alyssa, Courtney and Morgan all won is straight sets to clinch the win and put us up 6-0. At that point; Kate, Maddy and Emily went out and though we dropped each of these matches, each of them gave their all and I am so proud of them and know with certainty that being in these close matches will help us going forward.
We were also able to get in some exhibition prosets outside as things cleared up, so Hannah, Maggie and Charlotte all got matches in with Hannah winning hers.
It is an exciting week here as we prepare to avenge our only NWC loss of the year against Linfield at home Friday at 11am and then take on Willamette, who we edged 5-4 on Saturday at 10am.
It is Family/Alumni Weekend, which is morphing into mostly Family weekend as I haven't heard from any alums coming back and I know several families are coming (including my parents, who have never seen the team play!). More info to come on our schedule for the weekend, but if you're coming get ready for some great tennis, a fun dinner with the team on Friday and bring your rackets for Saturday afternoon family tennis!
Happy April everyone!
John
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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.