Wrapping up spring break

Sorry for no post after the Redlands match but I actually went a couple days without an internet connection. Its been several days since the match and much of the match has faded from memory. We were at the tail end of the a very long road trip and played very tired. Our only points came from Matt Solomon who is playing great tennis (he won at 1 singles and 1 doubles).

Redlands 7 Whitman 2

The rest of the post (which I suspect will be lengthy) is my recollections of the trip. Its more for myself than anything, but I figure some parents and alumni might find it amusing. If you don't want to read my thoughts about the trip stop now...

OK - you have been warned!

If the Whitman 2010 Spring Break trip wasn't the longest trip in Whitman Tennis history, it surely is near the top. I know some teams fly further or go to exotic locations but I don't think any team has spent 14 days on the road (14 for me, less for the players) or drove 3600 miles! Yes that is not a misprint, I drove 3600 miles in two weeks.

What an absolute blast! I have to say it is so much fun being together for such an extended amount of time. Some might think it's crazy to spend so much time together in a bus. I, however, think its crazy not to spend that time together. In the bus, with just the team, it's amazing the conversations, the experiences and the shared values of the team. In the bus guys can be guys -- laugh out loud, cheer, scream at the top of their lungs, be crude or just be plain silly. It's just not possible to have the same experience in a plane or a shorter trip. Let me state, a trip of this magnitude wouldn't be possible without a quality group of guys. We have a special family and really enjoy each other company.

I'm sure my coaching colleagues think I'm crazy doing a two-week driving trip. So why undertake such a trip? One of the reasons is our wacky conference schedule. In the NWC conference (9 teams) we are required to play a silly double-round robin. In DIII teams are limited to 20 dates of competition. Having to play 16 matches conferences really eats up the schedule and drastically limits what a team can do outside of a conference schedule. If a team plays a couple non-conference matches and a couple fall events there are no available dates for a spring break trip. As I've told my conference colleagues we are the only conference in the nation that requires a double-round robin. It is wasteful of dates and resources, and hampers the ability of good teams to schedule out-of-conference opponents, which is critical for national exposure.

One way around the problem with dates is to play multiple matches on a single day. Under NCAA regulations it is the number of days played NOT the number of matches. The past few spring breaks we have been able to reschedule our Portland matches to the first part of spring break. Since we typically play these matches on Monday and Tuesday we take all the members of the team, divide into two different teams and play two matches at the same time. Besides saving dates it also frees up three weekends during the season when we would've traveled to Portland to play. It is certainly worthwhile to spend a couple days at the start of break to knock out the five Portland matches and then have three weekends during the season free. This year the conference schedule had us hosting PLU and UPS so we ended up playing seven conference matches in five days.

Another reason I like to drive is so the entire team can go on spring break. It is financially prohibitive to fly 15 people during spring break. Even if it were feasible to fly 15 people, I would be faced with the logistical problem of renting multiple vans with underage drivers.

Another plus of driving is the housing. As a team we are blessed with many supportive parents and friends that open their homes to the team. It is SO much more fun to be in a big house together than spread out in hotel rooms. I'm also sure that my AD appreciates the cost difference between hotels and housing. I shudder to think to what hotel rooms what 10 days of hotel rooms would cost.

Our first few nights on the road we stayed at the Fuchs and Deming households in the Portland area. During this section of the trip Coach Ann had a group of players at the Demings and I was with the rest at the Fuchs. Man, talk about living in luxury! The Demings and Fuchs treated us incredibly well. I think Valerie Fuchs should start her own home gardening, entertaining and food magazine! Martha Stewart move over because Valerie can show you a few things!

The first Tuesday of the trip was one of our longest days of the trip. We left the Fuchs house at 7:45am to head over to University of Portland to play doubles against the Pilots. Wasn't a counting match but was certainly fun (and beneficial) to play high level doubles. Following the match we headed back to the Fuchs house to shower, pack-up our belongings, load the van and head out to Forest Grove to meet up with the rest of the team (Coach Ann) and play Pacific. After the match we combined both group of guys into the 14 passenger bus and drove to Eugene to spend the night.

Wednesday was our longest team drive of the trip -- Eugene to Sacramento (8-9 hours). Here is a trick I have learned to make drives more enjoyable. I bring an DC-to-AC inverter and a wireless router. As we are driving down the highway the guys can play video games and/or share music/movies. Pretty interesting listening to the guys play against each other in Starcraft (Jeffrey was the master). If a power source and wireless router were key for the guys, my Droid was my must-have object. I've had the argument with several people but there is no doubt in my mind that the Droid is superior to the iPhone. (editor's note: you are full of it, husband.) With the Droid I could speak into the phone to get real-time navigation ... say "navigate Redlands University" and the phone links into google maps to show the best route, gives turn-by-turn navigation, shows traffic, shows time to destination, and gives street level photo views of each turn...wow! The Droid also has voice-dialing and search. I found this absolutely critical when driving and trying to find some information or make a call (using a head set of course). The Droid uses googlemaps and with a press of the button shows items of interest (eateries) near you. The Droid, like an iPhone, is an outstanding music player, and I listened to A LOT of music during the trip. Without a doubt my MVO (most valuable object) was my Droid.

While on the subject of objects here are some other valuable objects that made a long trip work. Another reason to drive: it was easier to transport a stringing machine. Being on the road for two weeks and playing 11 matches means a lot of broken strings. We spent a fair amount of time stringing rackets in the evenings, before matches and at times during matches. A Leatherman's tool - I always try to travel with a Leatherman and this trip was no different. I used it to slice up fruit and string rackets. I also felt like MacGyver JR when I took apart the 12 volt electrical system in the van trying to find an electrical short. The bus has 12 volt outlets above each seat that, for some reason, were shorting out. It took me about an hour but I dismantled the 12-volt system and managed to find the electrical short. Without the 12-volt plug-ins the guys couldn't charge computers, plug in phones or music players. Another "must have" item was a bottle of hand sanitizer. The guys laughed a bit but every time they got into the van I squirted sanitizer into their hands. In past spring break trips it seems that when one person gets sick, the entire team gets sick. This trip, Christoph started out sick and I was the only other one to get sick. Not sure if it was the sanitizer but I'll be using a bottle of sanitizer on future trips. Lastly a having a cooler of food is key. Guys get hungry, and get hungry at different times so I made it a point of having a cooler full of lunch meat, cheeses, condiments and a box of bread, bagels and fruit. Full bellies mean happy men.

In summary if anyone is planning on taking a 3,600 mile, 2-week trip with 14 players here are items to take:

• Stringing machine
• Leathermans tool
• Hand sanitizer
• Cooler + food
• A Motorola Droid (or lesser iPhone)
• DC inverter
• Wireless Router
• sleeping bags (we traveled with 12)
• Air Mattresses (we traveled with 10)
• Air pumps for mattresses (we had two)
• internet connection and Hotwire.com for hotel rooms

Wednesday was a beautiful drive through OR and Nor CAL. The views of Mount Shasta and surrounding area was absolutely glorious. We ended up spending Wednesday night in downtown Sacramento.

Thursday we left Sacramento, drove to Los Gatos and checked into Hotel Solomon. After unpacking at the Solomon's we headed over to the Stanford campus to hit some balls. Big thanks to Stanford coaches Coupe and Whitlinger for letting us practice on the main Stanford courts. Was fun for the guys to play at one of the best college facilities in the nation.

We had a couple wonderful days at the Solomon house -- great food (yes Mama Bear, you are a great cook), Rock Band on a Play Station, billiards (I was the champion), swimming, and wonderful company. I think everyone thought I was losing my marbles, but I slept outside each night and had wonderful, restful evenings.

Sunday was another very long day. We had to get up early (7am) and drive to Santa Cruz. On Sunday we had an brutal double-header playing Cal Lutheran and UC Santa Cruz. Originally we were going to play Cal Lu on their home courts later in the week, but since they were in Santa Cruz (and only playing 1 match) we decided to move the match to Santa Cruz. At the time it seemed like sound logic: we get to play on neutral courts against a good team. What I didn't realize (no one did) was that Ca Lu might be the best team in the nation. In fact if the ITA released rankings on Saturday they would probably be #1 Ca Lu and #2 Santa Cruz.

After those matches we headed back to Hotel Solomon to pack up and drive south. However on the drive to Los Gatos the guys were begging for In-and-Out Burger and let me say, it's just pathetic when grown men (or mostly grown men) beg for a burger. So we took a detour and went to the nearest In and Out (which was 30 mins away). I know the guys enjoyed stuffing themselves with burgers from the famous CA chain but it took too long. By the time we made it back to Hotel Solomon, showered, packed-up, and loaded-up it was near 10pm. I should mention that loading luggage for 15 people + stringing machine into the bus is a major undertaking! Takes a fair amount of planning, pushing and shoving to get everything into their correct place. That night we drove to Pismo Beach, CA (got in about 2am) and stayed at the Sadeghi household. Wow what a great home. The house was empty and we had the whole place to ourselves.

Originally I planned to get up early on Monday and drive to Redlands (about 3 hours). However we were enjoying the house and location so much we stayed most of the day. The guys watched movies, went swimming, some hit tennis balls and all enjoyed the sunshine. Personally I enjoyed a break from the van.

By the time we hit the road Monday it was around 4pm. We drove to Glendale and had a wonderful dinner with the Sadeghi's in Glendale. What a spread of food! I think it was the the only time the entire trip that the guys actually left food on the table! After the amazing dinner (and view) we made our way to Redlands and spend the night in a hotel near the Redlands campus.

Tuesday the trip really gets interesting -- at least for me. After the Redlands match I realize my wallet is missing. I used it before the match get Gatorade at a nearby store and then lost track of it. Not sure when it fell out of my pocket (or was taken from me). After the match we unloaded the front of the van and double-checked the courts but no wallet. First time I've ever lost a wallet on a tennis trip. Only saving grace is it is at the end of the trip. Not sure how the trip would have progressed if my wallet went missing early in the trip (no money).

Tuesday afternoon was a bit of a mad scramble. Matt leaves with his family to stay in Southern CA and watch little sister play matches for Pomona. Sam takes Quin with him to stay the night in Glendale. I drive to the Ontario airport and check 8 guys into a nearby Holiday Inn (thanks Hotwire). Those 8 guys were scheduled to fly home Wednesday morning. After making sure those 8 were settling and ready to fly out in the morning, I leave for Vegas with Nadeem, Jake and ET.

Jake, Nadeem and ET knew I would be driving through Vegas on the way back to Walla Walla (it is the shortest route) and planned to spend the remainder of their break there. Since I don't have any money, credit card, or ID I have Nadeem check me into a room to spend the night. I also had to convince one of them to fill up the van so I had fuel to drive the next day. My Vegas experience was heading up to my room and collapsing on the bed.

From Vegas I mad a bit of a southern detour. As fate would have it my parents happened to be in Fort Mohave, AZ (about 100 miles south of Vegas). I had been in contact with my parents about my wallet/money predicament and they were going to help me out. Great day hanging with my parents and seeing the sights around Fort Mohave (and the CO river). The next day with my dad's debit card in hand I finally headed for home.

Nothing too interesting to report besides that it was a pretty long drive. On Thursday I drove from Fort Mohave to Jackpot, NV. I was hoping to make it to Twin Falls, ID, but it was getting dark, was spitting snow and I was tired. My original plan was to sleep in the bus (I had air mattresses and sleeping bags) but it was pretty cold (high 20's) so I went into the casino and asked if I could pay cash (father had also provided me with some emergency cash) and check in without an ID. After calling the manager over the hotel staff agreed to let me check-in and spend the night.

Uneventful drive on Friday and I made it back to Walla Walla and my family about 5pm. Actually it was kind of funny as I was driving through Walla Walla I got a cramp in the arch of my right foot. The bus didn't have a cruise control and I think my foot was finally telling me that it was tired of driving! Quite a sight seeing my kids waiting outside for me to arrive.

If anyone finds a black wallet in the Redlands area, check to see if it is mine! Not much cash in the wallet and the CC's have all been canceled (editor's note: thanks to beautiful and talented wife at home). I would, however, really like to have my 2010 Oregon fishing license back!

Tough double header!

A bit of a late post but I didn't have internet access yesterday so couldn't provide an update of our matches. Our day on Sunday will go down as one of the toughest days in DIII tennis. Playing one top ranked team in a weekend is tough. Playing two top ranked teams in a weekend is a physical and mental grind. Playing three top teams is akin to playing at the national tournament. At least at the national tournament you only play 1 match per day. Not only did we play 3 top 20 teams in 24 hours we also played the #1 and #2 teams in the nation BACK-TO-BACK!

After our Saturday afternoon upset over Pomona we had to get up early and into the van at 7:30am, head to the Santa Cruz courts and take on Cal Lutheran. Cal Lu has had an unbelievable year ..they are currently undefeated and defeated a number of top ranked teams this season, including just knocking off #1 ranked UCSC on their home courts.

We were hoping the Kingsmen would have a small let down after beating UCSC and we could jump out quick in doubles. This, however, wasn't the case: CLU played very solid doubles and we started off tired and flat. Didn't take long for CLU to go up early in the all doubles and sweep us.

We did have more energy in singles. The match score doesn't show how close or intense the singles were. We ended up losing three of the singles matches in three sets (#3 ET, #4 Chris and #6 Conor). Also Matt played the best player in the nation (CLU #1 player has only dropped 1 set this year) extremely close losing 6-4, 7-6.

Because of the length of the CLU match we ate sandwiches at the courts took a 45 minute break and started up against UC Santa Cruz. Six weeks ago we played the Slugs in Walla Walla and they won 8-1 (our only win at #3 doubles). Plus the Pomona match and CLU matches (7 three setters) were wearing on the team. Against UCSC we didn't have the services of Etienne (the lion of our team) and still missing Christoph in the singles line-up.

Without ET, Matt and Jeffrey paired up at #1 doubles. They ran into a wasp nests at #1 doubles. The UCSC #1 team is one of the top teams in the nation and they were still stinging from their loss against CLU. The UCSC played very good doubles..serving well, nailing returns and closing hard on the net. Was simply too much for Jeffrey and Matt.

I felt that we played well at #2 doubles and had numerous chances to go up breaks. In fact I think we failed to convert on at least 6 break points. The match came down to one break where Quin and Christoph played a sloppy game.

At #3 we tried a new combo of Conor and Nadeem. I was hoping this combo would give us some spark. Nadeem has been injured most of the season and was chomping at the bit to get into the line-up. Plus Conor has been playing some amazing tennis this trip. Not only does he love to play but he is competing incredibly well -- no matter the situation he has been full of positive energy. The energy that Nadeem and Conor brought to the doubles court was great and they ended up winning 8-6.

Match of the trip (so far) was #1 singles. Six weeks ago Matt lost to the Cruz #1 player 6-4, 6-1 on our home courts. On Sunday Matt played his best tennis of the year winning 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (6). What an incredible effort from Matt over the weekend. On Saturday he nearly knocked off the #5 player in the region before losing 6-3 in the 3rd. Against CLU (#2 in region) he comes close before losing 6-4, 7-6 and that same day defeats the #3 player in the region 7-6 in the third! Talk about an amazing 24-hour effort! Also I should point out that earlier in the trip Matt defeated the #8 (Linfield) and #10 (PLU) players in the region (Matt was #11).

Our other win on the day was our three-set man Conor. I'm beginning to wonder if Conor is just going three sets so he gets to play more tennis. Over the weekend he clinched our win against Pomona 6-3 in the 3rd, lost in three sets to CLU, and then turns around to beat one of the best #5 players in the nation 7-5 in the 3rd! I swear the guy never gets tired on the court. I really feel that Conor has found his game and attitude this trip. He has earned the respect and admiration of his coach, teammates and opponents.

Unbelievable team-effort from the Fighting Squirrels.

We are currently in Redlands getting ready for the last match of our trip -- 2pm against #18 Redlands (we are #26). I'll try to provide Twitter updates during the match.

Big thanks to the Solomon family and Sadeghi families for providing housing and incredibly meals during the trip! It has been great having so much support and love while on the road.

60 years of Whitman tennis

At our Pomona match yesterday we were treated to a visit from Adrian "Cib" Cibilich. Cib played tennis at Whitman in 1950 and was pleased to report that Whitman went 5-1 that year and won the singles and doubles conference titles.

Cib wasn't the only Whittie in the crowd -- Justin Hayashi '09 and Mark Scoyners '76 also helped cheer the team to victory.

Squirrels knock off #17 Pomona

Great win today for the Fighting Squirrels! We went into todays match ranked #26 and knocked off #17 ranked Pomona Pitzer Sagehens 6-3. Unfortunately its late and I don't have time for a complete match write-up.

We played PP at the UC Santa Cruz West courts. Doubles started off pretty even. At #2 Quin and Christoph went up two breaks but at #3 Jeffrey and Jake were down two breaks 0-4. About midway through the doubles it appeared that the match would come down to Matt and ET at #1. Quin and Christoph were able to close out their match 8-4. On the heals of that #2 doubles victory, Matt and ET broke (4 great returns in a row) and held to win 8-5. At #3 Jeffrey and Jake dug themselves out of a monster hole and leveled the match at 6-6. At 6-6, with PP serving we had at least two break points to take the lead. Unfortunately we were unable to convert either of the break opportunities. At 6-7 Jeffrey was serving and had a very long game. At one point Jeffrey nailed a half-volley winner to stave off a match point. However in the end PP broke salvaging a point in doubles.

In singles things started off great for Whitman. One the top courts (#1-#4) we won the first set in all the matches. On the lower courts Jasper and Conor both dropped their first sets (#5 and #6). Chris Bailey (#4) got us on the board first with a 7-5, 6-3 victory. ET (#3) played his best tennis of the year winning 6-4, 6-2 giving us a solid 4-1 lead. This put all the pressure on the remaining PP players..they lose one more match and its over. To the Sage Hen's credit they battled hard and forced #1 (Matt Solomon) and #2 (Jeffrey Tolman) into third sets. In those third sets we were up breaks in both matches but couldn't close the deal as PP took both matches.

With the match score now 4-3 everyone rushed to the lower courts to watch the conclusion of #5 and #6. At #5 Jasper played a pretty solid 1st set but lost 2-6 even though he failed to convert game points in four different games. Jasper bounced back in the second to win 6-4. At #6 Conor dropped the 1st set 4-6. At the match change over I was giving Conor words of encouragement when he looked me square in the eyes and said "Coach don't worry, I have this match". Conor stayed true to his word winning the 2nd set 6-0! Conor was locked in a 3-3 battle when the upper courts came down to cheer on their teammates. I think Conor was saving his best tennis for last. At 3-3 Conor has an easy hold. At 3-4 Conor plays a great game -- he changes his tactics a bit and breaks to go up 5-3 (serving). With the team match on the line, Conor bombs a few serves and holds at 40-15. His victory clinched the match for us 5-3. In the last match on, Jasper (of course it would be Jasper -- team joke) goes up 5-2. However the PP player still has a ton of fight and breaks and then holds. I was very proud that Jasper served out his match 6-4.

Whitman 6 Pomona 3

Tomorrow we have the toughest day that any DIII team has ever faced. Today undefeated Cal Lutheran (#10) defeated #1 UC Santa. In the morning we face that red hot Cal Lutheran team. Later in the afternoon we take on #1 UC Santa Cruz. So basically tomorrow we play the #1 and the #2 teams in the nation! As usual I'll try to Twitter match updates.

Matt Solomon NWC Player of the Week!

Congratulations to Matt Solomon being named NWC student-athlete of the week!

http://www.whitman.edu/whitman/index.cfm?objectid=67C7EB61-9133-22A5-E4BAADBBC9AB60B6

Spring Break Spring Break Photos

Here are some pictures from my camera. I'll try to round up pix from other guy's cameras and load them up soon.

Pictures from spring break.

Getting ready for the weekend

Great opportunity for the Fighting Squirrels this weekend in Santa Cruz. Tomorrow (Saturday) at 2pm we take on #17 Pomona-Pitzer. On Sunday we have an amazing doubleheader. At 9am we take on red hot #10 Cal Lutheran followed by #1 UC Santa Cruz. Talk about a great weekend of play!

We have been in the Bay area the past few days getting used to the beautiful weather, enjoying the sites and hitting. Thanks to the Stanford coaches for letting us use their varsity courts for an afternoon hit yesterday.

Speaking of thanks. Big HUGE thanks to the Fuchs and Deming family during our Portland trip. Both families opened the homes (and kitchens) to the team and we were treated like royalty! Personally I think both families should open B and B's when they retire from their real jobs:) We are currently staying at the Solomon house in Los Gatos. As a coach I feel very lucky to have some many wonderful families helping us out during our long trip.

Speaking of trip I wonder if we have the longest college tennis trip of the year...11 nights on the road! I have to say that the trip has flown by and we are having a great time. Having such a quality group of guys makes the trip incredibly enjoyable. I think I speak for all when I say we are all having a blast.

For tomorrow matches I'll twitter updates when possible.

7 matches in 5 days!

Yesterday we finished the Portland phase of our spring break trip with a 9-0 victory over Pacific University. In the past five days we have gone 7-0 in conference play! During that stretch we defeated what I think are three of the best teams in the conference (PLU, Linfield, and Willamette). Also during this stretch we have only lost 4 individual matches! I'm feeling very good where we are as a team and how we are currently playing.

Against Pacific we started with singles (looked like it was going to rain) and we quickly ran away with the match. I think we lost a total of 16 games in the singles. Pacific is a up-coming-team and they have steadily improved each of the past few years under the guidance of Coach Jackson. However our depth and experience was simply too much for them as quickly went through the singles.

Whitman 9 Pacific 0

With the first phase of our trip under our belts we are headed to UC Santa Cruz where we play three great matches this weekend -- UC Santa Cruz, Cal Lutheran and Pomona. The new rankings come out today and I would expect both UCSC and Cal Lu to be top 10 and Pomona in the top 20. We couldn't ask for a better opportunity to play against some of the top teams in the nation.

Speaking of rankings, the latest d3tennis power rankings has Whitman at #21 in the nation. We are currently 13-1 on the year (only loss to #1 UC Santa Cruz) and 12-0 in conference.

Sole possession of first place

Yesterday we once again split into two squads. My team traveled to McMinnville to take on Linfield and coach Ann's group traveled to Newberg to play George Fox.

I was looking forwards to the Linfield match because they were off to their best start in school history and, like us, were undefeated in NWC play. This was a pretty big match in the conference..the winner takes over 1st place in the standings and takes a big step towards claiming the conference championship.

In doubles the Linfield #1 team came out smoking! They were bombing serves and ripping returns. Matt and ET quickly went down 0-5. We did manage to break once, but the Linfield team continued their strong play closing out the match 8-3. Jake and Jeff continued their strong play at #3 doubles posting another solid 8-2 victory. After the match in speaking with Jeffrey he thought it was their best effort yet. At #2 doubles Christoph and Quin jumped out to a quick two-break lead. However the Linfield team was very pesky and saved a total of 4 match points before Christoph ended the match on his serve. That put us up 2-1 going into the singles.

What can I say about the singles except wow! As I mentioned yesterday I feel like we are playing better with each match. Yesterday the guys came out firing in singles: great effort, intensity and play. We quickly won the 1st sets in all the matches except Christoph who strained a quad and had to retire after dropping the 1st set 6-4. We are hoping a couple days of rest will do him good and he is able to go by Saturday. Here are the singles scores from yesterday:

#1 Matt won 6-2, 6-2

#2 Jeffrey won 6-3, 6-1

#3 Chris won 6-1, 6-4

#4 ET won 6-1, 6-0

#5 Christoph lost 6-4

#6 Jasper won 6-0, 6-3

Couple notes from the match. ET was able to go in singles and played great tennis. Sitting on the sidelines the past few matches has been too much for this proud warrior. He has been chomping at the bit to get out on the singles court. Chris Bailey had a bit of a strange match. He won the first set 6-1 and then went down 0-4 before ripping off 6 straight games. Match-up of the day was probably #1 singles where Matt defeated Linfield's previously undefeated (in conference play) #1 player.

Our second group of players were in nearby Newberg taking on the Bruins of George Fox. Match of the day was at #1 where Conor dropped a very close 6-4, 2-6, 10-7 match. The #1 player from Fox is a very talented player who earned 2nd team All-Conference honors last year. This year the Fox player has posted some very good conference results. Great effort from Conor.

This morning we are playing doubles against University of Portland. Although this is non-counting it will be great practice for us before we head to California. Later in the day both teams will join up and we play Pacific at 4pm. I'm looking forward to having the entire team back together again!

Whitman 7 Linfield 2

Whitman 8 George Fox 1

Split squad yields two victories

One of the benefits of a deep roster is the ability to split the squad into two parts. Yesterday half of the guys traveled with me to take on Willamette while the other half went with Coach Ann to play Lewis and Clark College.

Fortunately for my group the weather was great and we were able to play Willamette on their outdoor courts (often we run into rain and have to travel to indoor courts). Against Willamette we knew we were in for a good match -- we defeated them 7-2 on our home courts just seven days ago. In that match the top three singles all went three sets.

I'm starting to feel like we are playing solid doubles. Each match is getting better and better and teams are starting to gel. Against Willamette we immediately went up breaks in all three doubles matches and never looked back. At #1 doubles Matt and Etienne played their best match of the year winning 8-1. At #2 Christoph and Quin broke the first game and never looked back winning 8-4. And at #3 Jake and Jeffrey continued their solid play winning 8-2.

In singles I must highlight the play and maturity of Matt Solomon. A week ago Matt lost to Willamette's standout freshman Michael Baumgartner in three sets. Yesterday Matt continued to raise his level of play winning 6-1, 6-1 ... wow goes from losing in three sets to winning 6-1, 6-1 in the span of 7 days!

At #2 singles Jeffrey faced a very tough opponent in Josh Wong. In fact last week Josh defeated our #1 player from last year (Etienne) 6-2, 6-4. Much like Matt, I feel Jeffrey is playing better each match. Yesterday he ground out a tough 6-3, 5-7, 10-7 victory. I love how Jeff is competing and his on-court tactics. Earlier in the season he was forcing balls trying to "win" every point. Now he is comfortable with longer rallies, moving the ball around and waiting for opportunities to look for a bigger shot or force his opponent into making a mistake.

Chris Bailey won at the #3 spot 6-2, 7-5. This was a good win for Chris. Last year at Willamette he defeated the same player in three sets. Our only loss yesterday was at #4 where Christoph lost a heart breaking match 7-5, 6-7, 10-7. Christoph played pretty well in the match: I liked how he attacked the ball from the baseline and consistently put pressure on his opponent. A couple points here and there sealed Christoph's match. At 5-5 in the 1st set (Christoph serving) he missed three pretty routine volleys giving Willamette the break. Then late in the 3rd set breaker Christoph and his opponent had a long point where they each lobbed each other and both ended up at the net. Christoph set up the point well and was in position to finish the point when he netted a sitter forehand volley. Was a very good match for both players. I felt like both Christoph and his opponent played quality tennis and both attacked whenever they could.

At #5 and #6 we had trouble closing out the matches but Jasper won 6-1, 6-4 and Jake won 6-3, 7-6.

While we were playing outdoors, the second group of players were taking on Lewis and Clark College in the LC bubble. This was kind of rough because it was a beautiful day in Portland and they were forced to play indoors.

Match of the day was freshman Sam Sadeghi at #1 singles. Sam won the 1st set 6-4 before dropping the second set 2-6. From what I heard Sam raced out to a quick lead in the tie break only to fall behind. However he was able to finish out the match 10-8 in the breaker. Hats off to Thomas and Adriel who both won 6-0, 6-0.

I must apologize for the shortened LC write-up but I didn't see any of the match!

Overall a great day of tennis. Both squads won and we were missing the services of two of out standouts from last year (Etienne in singles) and Nadeem (singles and doubles).

After the matches both teams were treated to a wonderful dinner at Old Towne Pizza by '99 alumn Dr Clifford Mah. Thanks for the dinner! Speaking of alumns it was also nice to Phalkun Mam '08 (and family) and Kurt Casad '77 at the Willamette match.

Today we again split the squad playing George Fox at 2pm and Linfield at 3:30pm.

Another sweep as we start spring break

Yesterday we followed up our sweep of PLU with a 9-0 victory over a pesky UPS team. Because of our rough upcoming schedule we rested a few players. Was fun to watch guys that normally don't play show their stuff.

Conor Holton-Burke got the call at #1 and defeated fellow Coloradoan Mike Cutter 6-2, 6-0. Sam Sadeghi continues to play very solid tennis winning at #2 6-2, 6-1. We had some hiccups at #3 and #4 as both Jake and Quin lost the 2nd sets before winning in match breakers. Jake reports his match was full of ups and downs. Quin was down a match point in his 3rd set break before ripping off straight 3 points. At #5 and #6 Adriel and David won dropping a combined 4 games.

Following the match we loaded into 2 vans and headed out for the start of our spring break road trip! For the first couple days of the break we are dividing into two teams and playing matches in the Portland area. Coach Ann has a group playing against Lewis and Clark College today and my group is playing Willamette. Tomorrow Coach Ann's group is playing George Fox and my group takes on undefeated Linfield.


Whitman 9 UPS 0

Link to the official write up

Sweep PLU!

I must admit I was worried going into our match with PLU. Don't get me wrong I always look forward to playing PLU because historically they produce some wonderful matches. Yesterday I worried about how the guys would play after a very tough academic week. The week before spring break (Whitman has a two-week break) is always one of the toughest weeks of the year. This year seemed worse than most: almost everyone on the team was staying up late studying, working on papers and/or preparing for tests. I doubt that anyone on the team had a good night's sleep all week and I was worried how everyone would respond to the intense academic week.

Four weeks ago we played PLU in Tacoma and narrowly escaped with a win. In that match we were down 2-4 and ended up winning the last three matches in three sets. Also in that match we started off flat in doubles and ended up trailing 1-2. Yesterday we were determined to start off with more energy and try to grab the lead after doubles.

Wasn't perfect weather for the match (winds over 20 mph and very cloudy) but we were determined to play outside. Neither the wind or the efforts of the Lutes would deny our efforts in doubles. We jumped out to quick leads at #2 and #3 doubles. At #2 doubles Christoph and Quin jumped out to a two-break lead and was the first off the court with a 8-4 win. At #3 Jake and Jeffrey continued their strong play posting a 8-3 victory. At #1 Matt and Etienne were locked in a battle with the #12 ranked team in the nation. At one point midway through the match Matt and ET broke to take the lead. However the Lute #1 team immediately broke back to even the match. Later at 5-5 ET was serving at 40-15 only get broke giving PLU the momentum and lead. However Matt and ET kept their composure to immediately break back. At 7-8 the talented PLU tandem head served to force a tie-break. At this point the clouds opened up, the rain came down and the temp dropped from 60 to 38. The teams moved indoors to play the tie-break. In the tie-break the PLU came out firing...outdoors they were spinning in serves and working the point. Indoors they were bombing serves. In fact both of the PLU guys bombed first serves and took a 4-2 lead. As the Lute team raised their level of play so did Matt and ET. Even as the PLU continued to play huge tennis the Whitman pair won the next five points to win the breaker 7-4.

In singles we swept every match without losing a set! Christoph gave us a 4-0 team lead with a 6-1, 6-2 win at #4. It was fitting that Matt sealed the team win with a 6-1, 6-4 win over 2009 NWC Player of the Year Joel Trudel. A month ago Trudel defeated Matt 6-0, 6-2. Yesterday Matt raced out to a 6-1, 5-1 (Trudel serving) before closing out the match 6-1, 6-4. Matt showed a lot of pride brushing off his previous defeat to defeat his nationally ranked opponent. At #2 Jeffrey had a rematch with an opponent that had defeated him in Tacoma. Jeffrey played his most complete match of the year winning 6-4, 6-3. I was show proud of the way he competed and his tactics. Chris won a very competitive match at #4 6-3, 6-3. Sam and Jasper completed the sweep winning 6-1, 6-1 and 6-2, 6-1.

I must say that PLU was missing two players. However take nothing away from our efforts. We played with Etienne (in singles) and won at three positions that we lost last time we played PLU.

We continue our spring break trip with a noon match against UPS. Immediately following the match we drive to Portland where we will play five matches in three days.

Whitman 9 PLU 0

Start of spring break!

The start of the Whitman spring break is upon us! Today is the last day of class before Whitman goes on its annual two-week spring break. While all the students look forward to break, the week prior to spring break is a tough week: lots of papers, presentations and tests. I know many on our team have had some late nights trying to keep up with the increased academic load.

Today is the start of our tennis team iron week. We play seven conferences in just five days. Needless to say this is a very critical week in our quest for a third straight conference title. This afternoon at 3pm we face a very experienced and talented PLU team. We narrowly defeated PLU (5-4) in February and expect another battle today. Since our come-from-behind victory over the Lutes we have shuffled the singles and doubles line-up a bit and I feel are playing a bit more intense tennis. PLU comes into today's match losing to Linfield 7-2 and Willamette 6-3 so I'm sure they will be fired up and looking to redeem their season.

Tomorrow at noon we host UPS. Earlier in the year we defeated UPS 9-0 without dropping a set.

Here is the official write-up for the weekend from Whitman's hard working, talented, and all-around great guy Dave Holden (Sports Information Director).... Men's Tennis Hosting NWC Tacoma Teams.

Hope to see you at the courts. For the fans not in Walla Walla I'll twitter updates for both of the matches.

Where are they now -- Akshay Shetty

It always amazes me what Whitman tennis alumni are doing. Over the years I have been lucky to coach and befriend many talented and motivated young men. This is the start (I hope) of a where are they now series about Whitman tennis alumni.

Akshay Shetty was a member of the team when I first started coaching at Whitman. Before coming to Whitman, Akshay hailed from Bombay India. At Whitman he was an All-Conference player and participated in the NAIA doubles tournament with partner Haroon Ullah.

Here is my interview with Akshay:

me: You were an economics major at Whitman. What did you do after graduation?

Akshay: Moved to Chicago and joined CornerStone Partners, a consulting firm

me: What type of consulting does Cornerstone do and what was your role?

Akshay: The company did strategy planning and financial planning for power companies

me: Seems like a good job for a recent college graduate

Akshay: A professor at Whitman recommended me for this position. He knew one of the partners at the firm. I suppose the Whitman network helped.

me: how long did you work for Cornerstone?

Akshay: 3 years

Akshay: About 1 year in Chicago and 2 years in Seattle. It was interesting work and I liked the access and ability to learn from senior management at our various clients.

me: After Cornerstone did you go right to graduate school?

Akshay: No I spent two years working at ABN AMRO, a financial institution, in their structured finance group. And then I went to Kellogg School of Management (at Northwestern)

me: Why did you decide to pursue your MBA and why Northwestern?

Akshay: It was the logical next step. It exposes you to people and functions that you werent previously exposed to, and it provides a level of business perspective that I did not have at my previous roles. Plus, it gave me access to hundreds of employers who wanted to hire Kellogg grads.

me: Did you have a focus of study at Kellogg?

Akshay: I tried to get a broad education rather than focus on one subject. So I took classes in Strategy, Finance, Marketing, Operations - you know, all the "pillars" of a business.

me: If I remember right after Kellogg you went into banking..is that correct?

Akshay: Yes, I worked for Lehman Brothers.

me: So Lehman brothers during a very interesting/disruptive time?

Akshay: Both interesting and disruptive. But overall, a very good experience. The investment banking team I worked in was very good, in my opinion.

me: I think we spoke last year and you decided to get out of banking after the G20 in London. Is that correct?

Akshay: Well, not exactly. I think that event was a bit over hyped and I wasn't going to change my life just because someone stands outside my place of work with a poster in their hand. I had already decided to move to New York and work in a smaller, more entrepreneurial environment.

me: What advice would give upcoming college graduates looking to get a job in the world of business?

Akshay: Be persistent - there is no substitute for it. Reach out to alums, cold call, apply for all the interviews you can apply for to get practice, and keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities. And most importantly, have a thick skin.

me: One more question for you

Akshay: And then I have one for you.

me: I just realized you are quite a world traveler..were have you lived in the past decade?

Akshay: I have been lucky. Seattle, Chicago, New York, London, Mumbai.

me: Favorite place...?

Akshay: I love New York right now, but I really enjoyed London too, and Seattle will always be one of my favorite places.

me: ok your question

Akshay: So, how have you been able to produce ever stronger teams at Whitman? You started with a very raggedy bunch in 1998!

me: It all started with you Akshay. Just been a bit lucky and trying to have fun each yearJ

Yellow Jersey for the week

For the first time this year there was a tie for the yellow jersey. So sharing the jersey for the week will be junior Chris Bailey and freshman Jeffrey Tolman. Congratulations to both!

Wrapping up the weekend

Finished out our weekend home stand with a 9-0 victory over Lewis Clark College. LC is down a bit this year so most of the matches were lopsided. For this match I tried to use as many different players as possible. Always nice to get a chance to play at home!

We are rapidly approaching our busiest time of the year. Next Friday we play rival PLU at home, Saturday UPS at home, Sunday we will split the squad in two and play at Willamette and Lewis Clark College, Monday again split the squad in two and play at Linfield and George Fox, and Tuesday play at Pacific. Whew going to be a busy week before we head to California.

Doubles

#1 Christoph/Conor won 8-1

#2 Adriel/Thomas won 8-4

#3 Matt Tesmond/David won 8-2

Singles

#1 Matt S won 6-1, 6-0

#2 Sam won 6-1, 6-0

#3 Jake won 6-0, 7-6

#4 Quin won 6-0, 6-3

#5 David won 6-1, 6-1

#6 won by default

Beautiful Weather and a nice win

Just wrapped up a 7-2 victory over Willamette on our home courts. Had another great crowd and glorious weather as we took on undefeated Willamette. Coming into today both teams were undefeated in NWC play with Willamette at 6-0 and Whitman 3-0. Willamette was also on a bit of a hot streak coming into today's match having just defeated PLU 6-3, whereas three weeks ago we squeaked by PLU 5-4.

In todays match we started off very strong in doubles. Great energy, high level of play and took command of all three matches right off the bat. Had to make an adjustment at #3 doubles because of an illness so Jeffrey Tolman and Jake Cappel got the call. They played great together cruising to an 8-0 victory. Number two doubles wasn't very behind as Quin and Christoph won 8-2. Matt and ET continued to play well together winning 8-3 at #1 doubles.

Three of the first four singles matches started off very closely (#1, #2 and #3). Chris Bailey got on the board first with a 6-0, 6-2 victory at #4 singles. Willamette's Josh Wong played great tennis defeating Etienne 6-2, 6-4. At #2 Jeffrey Tolman played a topsy turvey match winning 7-6, 0-6, 6-4 to clinch the match for us. At #1 singles Matt Solomon lost 7-6, 4-6, 6-3 to Willamette's standout freshman. At #5 and #6 we were fortunate enough to get pretty quick victories .. Christoph won 6-2, 6-0 and Sam Sadeghi won 6-0, 6-0 at #6 singles.

Was a good match for us against a good team. Willamette has certainly improved over last year and they are clearly one of the better teams in our conference. Actually our conference is pretty close so far this year...lots of close match scores around the league.

Tomorrow our we face Lewis and Clark College at 1pm. Note this match was originally scheduled for 2pm but LC requested a time change to help with travel schedules.

Whitman 7 Willamette 2

Doubles

#1 Solomon/Moshevich def Wong/Baumgartner 8-3

#2 Miller/Fuchs def Houser/Mack 8-2

#3 Tolman/Cappel def Ferguson/Lagattuta 8-0

Singles

#1 Solomon lost Baumgartner 7-6, 4-6, 6-3

#2 Tolman def Ferguson 7-6, 0-6, 6-4

#3 Moshevich lost Wong 6-2, 6-4

#4 Bailey def Houser 6-2, 6-0

#5 Fuchs def Lagattuta 6-2, 6-0

#6 Sadeghi def Mach 6-0. 6-0

Getting ready for the weekend

Busy weekend of action for the Fighting Squirrels as we take on Willamette Saturday 2pm and Lewis Clark Sunday 2pm. Looks like great weather for the weekend (highs in the 60's) so we are planning on playing outside.

Saturday we get to see Willamette for the first time this year. They are currently riding a nice NWC streak (5-0) and last weekend defeated PLU (6-3). The PLU victory was a real high spot for Willamette since it was the first time in over 20 years they had defeated PLU in tennis. Tomorrow's match will be a good test to see where we are in the conference. In our conference opener three weeks ago we narrowly defeated PLU 5-4. Since then we have had the opportunity to move around some doubles combinations and play a lot of inter-team matches. I know the guys are excited to be playing a good opponent at home.

Willamette is currently first place in the NWC with 5-0 conference record (5-2 overall) and is ranked #14 in the West Region. Last week their freshman number #1 player Michael Baumgartner was named NWC Player of the Week. From their record it looks like Willamette has been playing good doubles .. only dropping 2 doubles matches in 5 team matches (against PLU).

Whitman is currently 3-0 in conference and 4-1 overall (our only loss at the hands of #1 ranked UC Santa Cruz). In the latest National Poll we moved up to #25 (#6 in the West).

At the start of Saturday's match we will once again be serving free pizza from Pizza Pipeline. If you are in town make sure to drop by the outdoor courts at 2pm for some quality doubles and hot free pizza!

Sunday I'm planning on using 12 different players in our match against Lewis and Clark College. It will be a good opportunity for our entire squad to get play at home.

Hope to see you at the courts!

Team leader for the week!

For the first time this year the wearer of the yellow jersey goes to a freshman..congratulations to Sam Sadeghi! Sam has been working hard on his game and has shown rapid improvement. All of his teammates recognized his dedication to the team, his hard work, and continued solid play. Nice work Sam!