End of the regular season, here come the playoffs

Layne, Emily and Mary Rolston

First, I meant to do two postings last week, one for the family weekend which included a beautiful day of family tennis after the Willamette match.  We had the Minuth's, Rolston's, Scott's, Palkowitz's out playing with Emily and Layne taking the tie break tournament over a strong Art and Hannah Palkowitz team in the finals; not to be stopped, the team all left and even I couldn't outlast the tennis endurance of the Reed, Megin, Mary and Layne; what fun!

Hannah and Art Palkowitz

This weekend we split the team to finish our regular season with everyone playing counting matches.  We were a little short handed with Emily finishing her thesis and Charlotte preparing for the chorale concert Saturday night.  Still, we had some very good tennis on campus as Spokane CC came down for an exhibition.  Maddy and Hannah lost to a solid team in doubles while Sara and Liv got a win before Liv continued her day with a straight set singles win.  Not finished, she also participated in the evening concert, a rare performance of Swedish music that had never been performed in the US before.  Oh yeah, Liv is an amazing violinist in the student orchestra!  Maddy continued to shake off the rust of a week off and got going in the second set before losing 6-0,6-4 at #1. Sara had a tough first set before shin problems limited her movement and she retired.  Hannah leveled the match with a quick 6-0,6-0 win at #2 singles.  It was just great to get matches in at home with the rest of the team on the road in Portland.

Friday against George Fox, we beat the rain and the Bruins with a great doubles sweep.  The match really turned our way when Maggie and Kate teamed up at 3 and individually and as a team displayed how much their doubles has improved with an emphatic win that pumped up Erin and Morgan at 2 and Alyssa and Courtney at 1.  Hadley lost a tough 3rd set tie break and Kate lost two hard fought sets but everyone else won except Erin who didn't get to finish as the match was decided when the rain came down as she was about to split sets and was playing really well.  So, we came off with at 6-2 win against a good young Bruin team.

Saturday felt almost like a home match at LC in their new bubble.  The Wilsonville HS tennis team came to watch a local college match along with men's tennis alum Kurt Kasad and Kate had a ton of family there;  not to mention three of our most prolific women's tennis alums; Hadley DeBree (2010 Bio and Env Studies grad working on Environmental Education for Americorps in Idaho), Divneet Kaur (2010 Religion grad currently at OHSU med school), and Lynn Greer McKelvy (1988 Math grad, 2004 Whitman Hall of Fame inductee).  All three are members of our Century club with over 100 career wins and Lynn finished as high as #4 in the nation in singles and #3 in doubles!

Courtney and Alyssa in dubs (from TX)

The match again had us switching up doubles and Courtney and Alyssa dominated at 1 while Morgan today teamed with Kate to win at 2 and at 3 Erin and Hadley had a great run of games in the middle and stayed positive and focused the whole way but just couldn't sustain the consistency to pull it out.  So, up 2-1, Morgan went to work and I was so impressed not just with the scoreline of 6-0,6-0, but with how she played her tennis constructed points and finished clinically.  Courtney and Alyssa were on similar paths to efficient wins over quality opponents and they each came off the court about the same time 6-0,6-3.  Again, Kate was battling and had an interesting matchup at #4 which went back and forth before she lost 7-6,6-1, but I saw things from Kate that we've been working on and the score here is a bit deceptive as she played really well in many areas.  Hadley at 5 took Morgan's court and followed her lead with the performance of the day bouncing back from doubles to get the 6-0,6-0 win!  Maggie was nearly there but her opponent at 6 fought through tough deuce games with Mags up 5-0 in the second which gave her some momentum to 5-4 before Maggie finished up with consistency and winners to seal the match.

Maggie returning

Many of us enjoyed getting back home in time to see the concert and enjoy the wonderful Spring weather in Walla Walla.

So, we concluded the regular season at 10-2 in conference with a second place finish, the highest in my 4 seasons at Whitman (3 3rd place finishes) and we go into next week's conference tournament with the second seed and great confidence in our ability to win back to back matches against the best teams in the northwest to earn the AQ for NCAA regionals in May.

The schedule of the tournament in McMinnville is:
Saturday 10am #1 Linfield vs #4 (TBA -probably Willamette)
Saturday 2pm #2 WHITMAN vs #3 Whitworth

Sunday 10am Final match

If you plan on coming and have questions, let me know, we're very excited for this opportunity to play Whitworth again and hopefully earn a spot in the finals.

John

Final NWC home matches...determining the conference standings

Hello,

This past weekend at Whitman we had it all.  From the weather to the tennis to the relationships on our team, we experienced so much joy, but also some dissapointment.  First, we were without one of our players and families as Maddy went home to California to be with family, then on Friday morning as we were hoping to play outside as we had practiced all week, a storm came in with snow that turned to rain and then hail so we played indoors vs Linfield.  This was tough for me because after 4 years in the Northwest I LOVE outdoor tennis and as clean as the ballstriking is indoors and as much as I love Bratton, it still feels a bit strange to me to play tennis inside.  The upside is that our fans have such an impact in Bratton crowded against the railings above while down below the players experience the atmosphere of college tennis but still have some distance to focus on their shots and communication.

The Linfield match was a showdown for first, but with a 3-6 loss in McMinnville early, we needed a 6-3 or better win to win the conference and host the NWC championships.  As happened in McMinnville, Linfield jumped out early, this time at all three spots.   After going up 0-40, Alyssa and Courtney could not manage a break and got down 1-0, which became 3-0.  Fortunately, they didn't get rattled and reeled off 5 games for a 5-3 advantage.  Linfield fought to stay in it and with us up 6-5, they edged out two close games and then took the match 8-6.  This proved to be huge as we got way down at 2 before losing 8-4 and three was always chasing the match by the smallest margin.  At both spots, we were playing well and especially at 3, Kate and Sara could have just as easily won 8-2 the way that they played, that is pro sets I guess, though we did learn some things about our doubles.

So, down 3-0, which is a gloomy place to be, playing to 5, the team with the crowd and parents in for family weekend fought back.  Alyssa was phenominal in making one of the best players in Linfield's history look very ordinary in a 6-1,6-1 win.  Not to be outdone with parents and 'sister' Derry cheering her on, Courtney handed Linfield's 2 player her second NWC loss (other one to Alyssa) 6-1,6-0.  Morgan and Kate both dropped the first but Lil Mo came back to take the second 6-2 while Kate down a set and 5-0, chipped away to get the second set to a tiebreak which she won.  In fact, both of Kate's first two sets were tie breaks and they took so long that Lizzy got on court at #6 and won in straight sets and Morgan finished her third set with a barrage of passes and winners from her opponent and Emily got on and off in a two set match that felt like 3 with amazing points and close games all the way but Linfield taking both #3 and #5 to seal the match at 5-3.  Kate then went into another tie break, this one for the match, and with her opponent cramping, she stepped up even more to hit big shots while being super steady to win the super t and the match, making it an agonizing 4-5 loss.  With all that, our spirits were buoyed by the fact that the NCAA birth in our conference is decided at the conference tournament and if we win out, we'll be the #2 seed and will have a chance to play the top teams in conference for the right to get the automatic qualification to regionals.

So, it was back to work on Saturday against Willamette.  This time the weather was predictable and we were outside on a beautiful spring day, but Willamette's health was not predictable as they had 6 players traveling and 2 got very sick and had to default.  My main concern then became, "how do we keep focused on this win while enjoying the day and weekend where so many families came to watch the team play".  We had a meeting and set our lineup with as many people playing in front of their families as possible (fortunately, this team is not only amazing in character, but also talent so I was confident in our ability to win).  Alyssa was gracious to sit out and support her team while Morgan and Courtney played really solid doubles and HP joined with Emily (I don't know if they've ever even played together in practice) and both teams won convincingly playing great doubles with both offense and good defensive fighting.  Meanwhile, we  set up our remaining 8 players in exhibition matches against each other (thanks to Willamette for allowing us to do this), and the senior duo of Lizzy and Charlotte got out early and edged the freshmen Sara and Erin who were on a comeback when time ran out while Kate and Maggie won a terrific match over Liv and Hadley where it seemed every point I saw had all 4 players at the net!

So, with the match decided, Courtney went to work on their #1 player and its hard to tell from the scoreline, but I really thought this match was a good one for Court because she was really in the moment playing her tennis the whole way.  At #2, Morgan carried her third set struggles from the day before into a tough 4-6 first set loss and then things clicked and she won the second 6-0 and rolled through the match tie break.  Lizzy was again quite impressive in two tough sets winning both and staying positive the whole way.  In the last match (we only played 4 singles), Erin went out and played one of the best sets I've seen from her winning 6-2 with Willamette's player playing really well and Erin holding serve efficiently and fighting intensely for both breaks she got.  Her opponent showed great resolve and the second set was a struggle as she got down a break and then two before losing 2-6.  In the match tie break, she was again down big and ended up losing, but her focus and attitude were so good it was really a breakthrough and I couldn't be more proud of her effort.  If she keeps this up, her game will continue to translate into a crazy amount of fun tennis and Whitman victories.

Following the match on Friday we enjoyed a meal with families and friends on campus and I sincerely thank all of you who were there for coming out to Walla Walla to see us and share your time and support, it is priceless.  On Saturday, our Family weekend finished up with some fun time in the warm sun playing tennis and having a parent/daughter doubles tourney which I'll report on later...

Thanks to all and I look forward to everyone playing this weekend as we have matches on the road Friday at 3:30 vs George Fox and Saturday at 10am vs Lewis and Clark as well as a scrimmage at home on Saturday at 2pm vs Spokane CC.  It means we have to split up, but also that some players get to stay home and get extra things done (school as well as Charlotte in Chorale and Liv in the Orchestra) while still getting a match in which I'm super excited about.

I'll try to get pictures posted soon from the weekend so if you were here and took any great ones you'd like to share, send them my way!

All our best,

John

WC Wins at Whitworth

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

No excuses..No regrets

Hi all,

I absolutely have no excuse for not updating the blog during and after an amazing week in Texas.  I won't recap each match in full detail, but I've posted some pics on flickr that I took and several Sandy (Morgan and Courtney's mom) took and we also took some video but uploading that is still beyond me.

Texas BBQ at the Lawless house

SSTX Legends

The week started a bit nervously for me from an organizational and competitive standpoint.  Whitman has two week break and each year having some time off during the long season and with the academic rigor of Whitman has been great for the team.  But this year it meant people flying into Austin from Washington, Northern California, Southern California, Maine, Washington DC and Hawaii!!  Needless to say I was so relieved when everyone arrived safely, then we got lucky missing some thunderstorms and had a wonderful practice at St. Stephen's Episcopal School's Tennis Academy.  As our hosts for the week, Carlos and his coaching staff were so welcoming to us and Mark and Sandy as our Austin parents were unbelievable, making Texas Hospitality something we will all remember fondly.  The level at practice was so good that Seth and I were very fired up despite some ominous weather.  Tensions were relieved, however, by a fun afternoon exploring Austin and an amazing dinner of Texas BBQ at the Lawless house.

Maggie driving a backhand

On Tuesday we split the team up and Seth took a group to play a very tough team in Temple JC.  This was a big challenge but I had wanted to see many of our players step up to higher lineup spots against a quality opponent (though from results I wasn't sure if they would be as strong as they were in years past) and the match really provided that as we were defeated 8-1 with Maggie scoring a win at #6 singles.

Lizzy and Kate Warming up at UMHB

At the same time, 8 players were at #15 in the West University of Mary Hardin Baylor (UMHB).  We came out firing and this team was not as strong as we had expected but they still battled as we won 8-1 and took exhibition matches at 4 doubles and 7,8 singles.  It was also great to see Courtney and Alyssa beat a doubles team who has been to nationals, a great start to what would prove to be a big week for them individually.

Mini dubs at SSTX

The saying goes that everything is bigger in Texas, well that must be because Texas itself is so big.  After one more great SSTX practice, we drove 4 hours to Dallas and checked into our hotel full of Thai food and thoughts of two more DIII regional matches the next day.  Well, we woke to rain and our 9am match got on at 2pm.  It was vs. Hardin Simmons at UT Dallas.  UTD is a crazy place to play this year as they are doing construction right next to the courts.  So noise, wind, some rain all could have led to an upset with us coming in at #10 in the west and HSU unranked.  Having discussed mental toughness all week, they showed it taking care of HSU 9-0.  This match was followed immediately by a much tougher UTD team, but with Sara and Kate at #3 we swept doubles and during doubles Liv started her #6 singles match.  It was good they started early because it was getting dark, dropping rain that looked like it could end the match and Liv's points were super long and patient.  She managed to overcome both the elements and her opponent for a straight set win.  Courtney won to clinch and then as it got darker and darker (the lights honestly didn't do too much to help and many were out), we found ourselves splitting in all 4 matches and in almost a collective relaxation form the days mental efforts, we lost 8-10, 10-12, 9-11, 5-10 to win 5-4.  Still, it was a relief to get two team wins and get off court after a long strenuous day.

So much Texas...Erin, Maddy, Em

Driving 2 hours to Tyler the next day was a piece of cake and a rainy spring in Texas made for gorgeous scenery and wildflowers.  We had time to hit and eat before taking on #8 ranked UTT on their home courts.  In the warm sun we kept our doubles going with big wins at 1 and 2 and a close loss at 3 to go up 2-1.  Courtney had the challenge of playing her "triplet" who was born in the same hospital on the same day as she and Morgan. It's not easy to play someone you've known and been friends with for your whole life, but Courtney is tough and pulled it out.  Alyssa, Morgan and Maddy also won is 2 sets for a 6-2 lead with Emily losing in 2 sets against a super tough player and Kate dropping a third set tiebreak.  What a day to get a big upset on the road against a very good Tyler team.

HP and Maddy at UMHB

This carried us into our final day of the trip.  The Trinity match.  If we had won all our DIII matches, we knew the #2 team in the West and #13 in the nation would not only bring great tennis and intensity, but also the opportunity to really move up in the rankings.  Alyssa and Courtney absolutely set the tone playing some of the best doubles I've seen from any DIII team that I can remember to beat the #2 team in the west.  More than that, their energy carried to Emily and Morgan who scored a huge win at 2 to put us up.  Maddy and HP got down early and fought back bravely, but against a big serving team it was tough to get that final break back.  Still, up 2-1 and confident, we quickly went to 3-1 with Courtney winning, then Kate lost to level the match before Alyssa won and Morgan lost.  So, with 5 and 6 just starting (we only had 4 courts to start as we were sharing with their men's match), it was 4-3 Whitman.  Emily played so well and bravely and I'm not sure more than a couple games didn't go to deuce so belief was high even though she was down a set and Maddy was as well at 6.  The freshman stormed back with the teams cheering on their players and as Em lost her match to level it at 4-4, Maddy started the deciding 3rd set.  It was truly great tennis between two first year players and Trinity's Steph Williamson fought through the opening 3 games to get a 2-1 lead and was able to carry it from there.  Trinity erupted in joy with a 5-4 win and our team was right there for Maddy and Emily.  During all this intensity Lizzy and Erin were trying to stay focused at 7 and 8 which is something I commend them for and that makes us such a great team as we are always working on every aspect of our tennis and teamwork.

Getting together after Trinity was a mix of emotions, but mostly there was a sense of confidence and pride.  We talked early in the week about how to play as a team with no regrets.  It is one of the hardest things to do in an individual sport that is so physically and mentally demanding and in all of my years I can't remember a better display of championship tennis.  Hopefully, we are able to learn what we can continue to do better, but without regrets we are confident that we can play with top 15 teams which is a huge step for Whitman Women's Tennis.

I can't thank enough Carlos at St. Stephen's, the Rolstons and Dean Snider for traveling watching and supporting us as well as the friends who stopped in along the way.  A Texas trip isn't common for us (about every 4 years), and this one was one with amazing tennis where the team also had so much fun together, and I must give extra thanks to Seth for his work on and off court and of course to Mark and Sandy for everything throughout the week.

The team with Carols at St Stephen's

I can't wait to see many of you at family/alumni weekend.  Please email me with RSVP's or questions and I'll get a schedule out in the next couple of days but please know you are invited to watch the home matches, join us for a Friday dinner at 5:30pm after the 11am Linfield match and for family/friend/alum tennis after the Saturday match vs. Willamette.

Texas forever,
John