Spring is the air!

It is spring break for the Fighting Squirrels! Classes are done for two weeks and the players get to take a break from the books and focus on tennis. This year we are doing something a bit unique and playing our away conference matches during the first week of break and the second week we are heading to Hilton Head, SC to play some of the top NCAA III teams in the nation.

Yesterday we had a home match against short-handed Lewis and Clark College. Unfortunately for the Pioneers they were missing a player and had to default #6 singles and #3 doubles. Highlight of the day was the return of junior Nadeem Kassam to the line-up. Nadeem has been out for a month with a shoulder injury and Friday the 13th marked his return to competition. I know for most people Friday the 13th is considered a day of bad luck. However for us it marked the glorious return of Nadeem to our line-up. Against LC, Nadeem had the opportunity to play one of the top players in the conference (Vincent Groot). In fact Groot only has one NCAA III loss all year -- that being a three set loss to PLU's outstanding #1 player. Nadeem not only played beautiful tennis but he played with an incredible sense of passion. Being out the past month has made Nadeem hungry to play again. Against LC, Nadeem was unstoppable winning 6-2, 6-3.

Kudos to the rest of the team who shook off a hard week of school and were able to close out the LC 9-0 without dropping a set.

Whitman 9 LC 0

Earlier today we took on a determined Willamette squad. Willamette is a talented squad and has players in various positions that can play with any team in the conference. They have also been rock solid in doubles.

Even though I knew this would be a close match I decided to mix and match the line-up. I know I have mentioned this before but we are fortunate to have an incredibly deep and talented line-up. This is great not only in practices (which are a joy to watch and run) but in matches we have a horde of hungry guys chomping at the bit to play.

We started off with high energy doubles. At #3 Nadeem and Chris picked up where they left off on Friday winning 8-0. In the last two matches Nadeem and Chris have won two matches 8-0! In the world of men's doubles that is no easy feat! At #2 Justin and Dan were down an early break 2-4 but rallied to win 8-6. At #1 doubles Christoph and Quin played their best (and smartest) doubles of the year winning 8-5.

At #1 singles Chris Bailey played aggressive, strong tennis defeating Willamette's Cody Ferguson 6-1, 6-2. Even though Chris had a convincing win it was a pleasure to watch Ferguson play. Cody is a new transfer to the Willamette program and he showed why he is one of the top players in the conference.

One of the more entertaining sets of the day was at #2 where Dan Wilson won a very competitive 1st set 7-6 (8-6). I have to hand it to Dan, he has an amazing court presence. No matter the situation he works incredibly hard and always has a positive aura. About the only way I can tell that Dan is in a tight match is how hard he hits the ball. The closer the situation the bigger he hits. Dan ended up winning 7-6, 6-2.

The most competitive match of the day was Jake at #3. Last week Jake didn't have the greatest court composure and it cost him against Linfield. One of Jake's goals for this match (and our trip) is to improve upon his attitude on court. Today Jake was a brilliant leader for our team. After losing the 1st set 3-6 he continued to work hard but more importantly his aura was positive. Not only did he shake off the great play of his opponent but he showed great leadership supporting all his teammates. In the end Jake posted a solid 3-6, 6-3 6-1 victory. This is one of those matches that made me proud to be a coach. It is so gratifying to see the maturity and growth of players. Today Jake was a true team leader.

At #4 Adriel felt he didn't play his best. However its hard to find fault in a 6-0, 6-0 victory! At #5 Jasper played a very talented and experienced Willamette player. In fact last year this player played #2 -- infront of Willamette's current #1, #2 and #3 players! Jasper was able to cruise to a 7-6, 6-2 victory. At #6 Christoph won 6-3, 6-4. I've been working with Christoph the past week on some changes to his game and it was nice to see him utilize some new tools.

Great start to our break the past couple days. Two matches and two 9-0 victories. More importantly we are playing with a renewed sense of purpose!

Whitman 9 Willamette 0