On Friday the "Fighting Squirrels" kicked off conference play with a 9-0 victory over University of Puget Sound. The #2 doubles combo of Justin "Hiyo" Hayashi and Dan "Mr ATT" Wilson got us rolling with a quick 8-0 win. We struggled a bit in the other doubles matches but pulled through with a 8-5 win at #1 (ET and Nadeem) and 8-4 at #3 (Jake and Chris). In singles Mr ATT (aka Dan) played like a man who had to make an important call cruising through a 6-0, 6-0 victory at #3 singles. Not to be outdone Chris Bailey posted a 6-0, 6-0 victory at #1 singles. This victory was especially sweet for Chris since his opponent was a NWC 1st Team All-Conference selection from 2008. In other singles Jake battled through a case of nerves posting a 6-3, 6-3 victory at #2, Quin held on for a 6-0, 6-4 win at #4, Nadeem worked hard for a 6-2, 6-4 win at #5 and Christoph completed the sweep with a 6-1, 6-2 win at #6.
Saturday morning was the "BIG" morning -- a match with our rival PLU. College football has their rivalry weekend the NWC conference has Whitman VS PLU tennis shootout. Make no doubt about it, this was a big match for both teams. A early season victory by either team sets the tone for the rest of the year. Last year we were able to get the Lutes 3 times (6-3, 9-0, 8-1). However this year the Lutes picked-up another DI transfer giving them one of the best #1, #2 tandems in the conference. To make matters worse we lost our #1 and #2 players from last year. In a sport of match-ups losing or gaining a player at the top positions can have a huge impact on the outcome.
Doubles was a see-saw affair with Whitman gaining early breaks at #2 and #3 doubles. #1 doubles was a battle with neither game gaining any break points until mid-way through the match. Unlike #1 doubles, #3 doubles was a regular feast for the returners. In fact at one-time that match saw 7 consecutive breaks of serve! In all my years of coaching I don't think I've seen that many breaks of serves. Nadeem/ET were the first off at #1 doubles winning 8-5, the early morning break feast at #3 doubles ended with Justin/Dan pulling out a 8-6 victory, and Christoph/Quin never looked back at #2 doubles winning 8-5.
Going up 3-0 after doubles is HUGE. However we know from past experience that the match was far from over. Two years ago we dug ourselves into a 0-4 hole against PLU and managed to win the final 5 matches. Knowing anything can happen everyone took to the courts knowing that each individual singles match was important.
The top two singles matches were outright slug fests. All 4 players were absolutely crushing the ball. Normally we use the match balls for practice. However the balls from these matches were so worn out we just threw them away! At #1 singles ET showed the heart of lion pulling at 4-6, 6-3, 10-6 victory. After recovering from a shoulder injury ET is playing with passion, intensity and most importantly a renewed love of the game. At #2 singles Chris had the task of playing PLU's new DI transfer Joel Trudel. Chris picked up where he left off on Friday winning the first set 6-2. However Mr Trudel showed he is the real deal battling back for a 6-1, 10-5 victory (PLU's only point of the day).
If I had to pick an "MVP" for the day it would be Jake. Against UPS the previous night, Jake struggled with his serve and played very tentative. I was worried how he would react to a very good PLU opponent (another DI transfer). I was proud of how hard he competed, his attitude and intensity on court. In fact Jake was the first singles off the court with a 6-3, 6-3 victory giving us a 4-0 lead. Mr ATT (Dan) overcame an early break clinching the team match with 7-5, 6-2 victory. Numbers 5 and 6 stayed true to form with Quin and Christoph picking up straight set victories.
Also getting in the action was Conor Holton-Burke playing an exhibition against another new PLU transfer. It was great to see Conor battle through a major case of the nerves beating a very good PLU player in 3 though sets.
We now take two weeks off before returning to competition against Pacific and George Fox.
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