November 5, 2008
With the veil of darkness arriving an hour earlier, future tournament activities for the Bulldogs will by necessity be "away" matches against opponents whose courts are lighted, and the first of these was a JV squad trip to San Marcos to face the "Rattlers". The host school had just finished their Varsity team tennis season (they captured 3rd place at Regionals), and were just beginning their JV season, so match-ups were more than a little "fluid".
As usual, the doubles draw was up first, and it was played in a 10-game pro-set format. At Girls' #1, (in fact the only girls' doubles match because for a variety of reasons only three (3) of the "JV Lady Dawgs" were able to make the trip) despite a wind gusting to almost 30 mph from the south, the team of Becca Rienstra and Jessica Ruiz got things off to a good start for the visitors by using penetrating serves and ground strokes to set up winning volleys and overheads in a (10-3) win.
Unforunately, "returns" weren't that positive at the top of the boys' draw. At #1, the pairing of Adam Rehmann and Alex Nguyen struggled with double faults and unforced errors all match as they fell (4-10). and at #2 Eric Swarbrick and Kyle Frels-Henry, and #3 Edward Ahn and Alex Pedersen had the same kinds of problems as they also suffered defeat by identical (5-10) counts putting the Bulldogs in a (1-3) hole for the match.
The bottom of boys' draw turned things around, however, and a (10-4)win by the team of Joe Fix and Jivan Luu at #4, and identical (10-6) wins by the teams of Josue' Navarro and Sean Kelner at #5, and Nick Ahn and Nathan Tarrillion at #6 pushed the "Dawgs" back into the lead (4-3) for the match heading into the eight game pro-set singles' competition.
Jenny Hamrick at #3 started things off there, and since her doubles partner had been unable to make the trip because of a history test, Jenny played a singles "double header" against her "coulda-been, woulda-been" doubles opponents, and wouldn't you know it, she "doubled her pleasure" with identical (8-6) wins to push the visiting "Dawgs" lead to (6-3) for the match.
However, Becca at #1 in the girls' singles draw and Eric at #2 in the boys' both needed to get back to Austin for church activities, and with the Swarbrick "chariot" and driver ready to go, they hurried back on court for their matches. Ironically, they ended up giving back the points Jenny had just claimed as they played like they were in a "Dawg-gone" hurry in identical (4-8) losses to leave the match score at a slim (6-5) margin for the visiting "Bulldogs".
Things got worse for the "Dawgs" at the bottom of the boys' draw as Nathan T. drew a very steady opponent at #12, and ended up on the short-end of a (2-8) score, and Nick A. at #11 and Sean at #10 were both overpowered by their "Rattler" foes by (8-1) and (8-0) scores respectively to put the Bowie squad behind (6-8) for the match. Fortunately, Kyle at #3, Alex "Rabbit Ears"Nguyen at #4 and Edward at #5 turned things around against their doubles opponents by (8-5) (8-3) and (8-5) scores respectively to put the visitors back in the lead for the match (9-8). Jivan kept things going with a one-sided (8-1) win at #7 to put the Bulldogs up (10-8) but Alex Pedersen's foe at #8 "Rattled" off three games in a row to claim a (5-8) win for the home team, and close the gap again to (10-9).
Early in the match at #1 boys' Adam R. had things looking good for the visitors as played steadily on the big points to claim a (7-4) lead, but ended up pressing to put his San Marcos foe away, and made a bevy of unforced errors which his opponent turned into an (8-all) tie, and went on to win the tie breaker (8-9, 4-7 TB) to push the home team even again (10 all) in this proverbial "nip and tuck" battle.
That left three matches still out on the courts, and the "Dawgs" needed two of them to come away with a victory. In the #2 girls' singles match it was indeed "ladies first" as Jessica did her part, when she handed the home team's second-seeded player another loss (8-2) (they had been doubles foes as well) to claim an (11-10) lead . Meanwhile on court #1, in the #9 boys' singles match Josue' had quickly fallen behind (0-3), but played much smarter than his hard hitting "rattler" foe and came back for an (8-5) win and a (12-10) match score edge to guarantee that the Bulldogs would go home winners, and making Joe's win at #6 icing on the proverbial (13-10) match score "cake".
The JV netters are looking for one more match before the Thanksgiving break, so stay tuned for time and place. We'll see you at the net.
October 28, 2008
Last Tuesday afternoon, the "Eagles" landed early as 18 members of the combined Akins Varsity and JV Tennis Teams rolled into the Bowie Tennis Center parking lot before the home team had even been released from class. In this case, however, the proverbial "early birds" did not come away with proverbial "worm". Eight doubles matches went on the court first, and were played in an 8-game "Pro set" format because there was concern about getting all 26 matches in before the daylight faded away.
That concern would have been well-founded if all the matches had been like the ones at the top of the respective Boys' and Girls' "draws". At #1 Boys, the team of Caleb Ellis and Jacob Belanger took on one of our district's best singles players and his partner. After falling behind early, the "Dawg duo" rode some great service returns by Jacob and over head winners by Caleb to claw their way back into the match before falling (6-8). Things looked to be under control for the "Lady Dawgs" early on in the #1 match when the team of Lindsey Auchterlonie and Becca Rienstra played very steady tennis to grab an early lead (6-2), but all of a sudden their Eagle foes stopped making errors, and the momentum swapped sides as the Akins duo won four games in a row to square the match at 6-all. The home team finally stopped the proverbial "bleeding" to take a (7-6) lead, but couldn't put it away and dropped the next three games and the match (7-9). The #2 girls' match was also bad news for the team of Andriana Duran and Jenny Hamrick, as their steady Akins foes almost never made an unforced error in a (1-8) loss.
Fortunately for the home team, the matches at the bottom of the boys' draw were over much more quickly, and had markedly different results. At #6 Joe Fix and Jivan Luu were first off the courts with a (8-0) beat down, and they were quickly followed by the #5 pairing of Nathan Fish and Edward Ahn with a lopsided (8-1) victory of their own. In the middle of the draw things weren't quite as one-sided, but the results were still positive for the "Dawgs". At #2, Sam Sydney and Adam Rehman played good steady tennis, and Adam's low wide service returns set Sam up for lots of put-away volleys in an (8-3) win over a pretty good Eagles pairing.
It was the same story, second verse at #3 where Kyle Frels-Henry and Eric Swarbrick also took control of the net and their match early (8-2), and after some fooling around trying to hit winners on every shot which led to a (1-4) deficit, the #4 pairing of Alex Nguyen and Jason Alexander played lots smarter and won seven consecutive games to finish the sweep of the boys' doubles with an (8-4) victory. This flurry of Bulldog wins left the match score at (5-3) in favor of the home teams as the singles matches went on court.
Predictably, the visiting "Eagles" were also tough at the top of the singles draw. At #1 and #2 respectively, Caleb Ellis and Dustin Vuong played better tennis than indicated by their identical (2-6) losses to tough Akins foes, and at #1 girls' Lindsey Auchterlonie made it "three of a kind" when she also fell to her "Lady Eagles foe" by the same (2-6) count. At #3 boys' one of Sam's doubles opponents got a measure of revenge as he out-steadied Sam and hit a bevy of baseline winners in a (1-6) loss for the home squad. However, at girls' #2, Becca returned the favor with a nice (6-2) win over one of the players who had handed her and Lindsey their doubles defeat, and leaving the match knotted at (6-all).
Fortunately for the "Dawgs" their dominance further down the boys' ladder came to the rescue. At #4, Adam Rehmann continued his improved play with a (6-2) win, and Eric and Kyle hung another loss on their doubles match opponents with (6-3) and (6-2) wins at #5 and #6 respectively. At #7, you Alex made the best of what might be called a "Nguyen-Nguyen" situation as he took a (6-4) win from his Akins foe. Things looked even better for the home team down the line as #8 Jason (6-0), #9 Nathan Fish (6-1), #10 Edward (6-0), and #12 Jivan (6-0) were all smiles as they turned the balls in after lop-sided wins in their singles matches. At #11 Joe Fix put the icing on the proverbial cake with a 6-1 victory, and then came right back with a (6-0) win against an "extra" Eagles player to put the match out of reach.
On the girls' side of the singles draw at #3 Andriana played much steadier tennis than she had in the doubles matches, but still fell by a (4-6) count, and at #4 newcomer Kana Uzushiri got an an unfriendly welcome to competitive tennis as her Akins foe used her consistent ground strokes to claim a (1-6) victory. Carly Munoz at #5 closed out the scoring by using her superior athleticism to toss a "bagel" (6-0) at her over-matched opponent and close out the scoring with the home team on top for a change by a (17-9) count.
The JV squad (12 deep on the boys' ladder and the top 6 girls) will swing into action again this week as they travel to San Marcos on Wednesday for a "friendly" against their former district foes, the "Rattlers". The squad (which will be named after practice on Monday) will leave ASAP after seventh period. Obviously there won't be any tennis practice at Bowie Wednesday afternoon, and non-participants who are on the tennis class roll should sign in at the library circulation desk to avoid being reported absent. Practice will be held at the regularly scheduled times the rest of the week however. See you at the net.
October 8, 2008
There were no "Greeks Bearing Gifts", or "Trojan Horses" in the parking lot of the Bowie Tennis Center on Wednesday, but there were two dozen Anderson JV Tennis Squad member ready for JV Tennis Extravaganza "Part Deux". Since Anderson has an "open" program this year (w/50 participants) it was decided to expand our Team match from the usual 19 matches to 30 pairings (10 doubles and 18 singles matches).
The home team's work on doubles fundamentals and strategies during the last week seems to have borne the proverbial "fruit" in terms of court position and shot selection as the "Lady Dawgs" swept the four matches on their side of the doubles draw. With the team of Jenny Hamrick and Rabia Mahmood at #4 starting it off with a quick (6-1) win, and the squads of Andriana Duran and Meg Jacoby at #2 and Jessi Devenyns and Carly Munoz at #3 following suit with convincing victories against their Northside foes by (6-3), (6-1) scores respectively. It was more of a "Dawg" fight at #1, however, where the pairing of Jessica Ruiz and Becca Rienstra jumped out to an early lead, but shaky service games and unforced errors let their opponents back into the match at (6-all). However, the home team hung in there to claim the tie breaker (7-5) and push the Bulldogs to an early lead (4-0) for the match.
There were six doubles matches on the boys' side, and at #1 the team of Sam Sydney and Adam Rehmann looked ready to blow their Trojan foes off the court, as they both served effectively, and set one another up for put-away volleys in the early games. However, trying for shots that weren't there, and some unforced errors at the net allowed the Trojans to pull even (3 all), but better shot choices and Adam's effective low cross-court forehand service returns got the Dawgs' back on track to win three consecutive games and claim a (6-3) win.
At #3, the pairing of Nathan Fish and Edward Ahn came off the court to report a loss (5-6), but after being reminded that you've got to win or lose by two games, they took advantage of their second chance, and evened the match at (6-all), and this time as they reported the score they were all smiles after claiming a tight tie breaker (8-6) and the match. Unfortunately, the news from further down the draw was not as positive, as the teams of Kyle Frels-Henry and Alex Nguyen at #2, and Josue Vavarro and Jivan Luu at #5 (with two 3-6 losses), Alex Pedersen and Joe Fix at #2, and Sean Kelner and Nick Ahn at #6 (who both lost 2-6), had some symmetry and maybe an OK poker hand (two pair), but the four match points for the visitors made the score (6-4) in favor of the host Bulldogs as the singles matches got underway.
In the singles draw with a few exceptions, the "Lady Dawgs " continued to lead the way for the home team. At #2, Becca R. played like she needed to be somewhere in a hurry, making short work of her opponent (6-1), and Andriana D. (6-2), Meg J. (6-1), Jessi D. (6-4), and Rabia M. (6-2) at #'s 3, 4, 5, and 8, respectively did the same as they each scored their second points for the host bulldogs. Perhaps it was the pressure of playing on Court #1 in front of the large gallery, but whatever the reason, it was a tough afternoon for Jessica R. at #1. With service errors, and wayward forehands finding the net with unusual frequency, she dropped a (2-6) match to the Trojans' #1 player, and a similar fate befell Jenny H. at #6 when she jumped out to an early lead only to have her "northside" foe rally and claim a (4-6) victory leaving the match score at (at 11-7) in favor of the host "Dawgs".
Unfortunately, it was a different story on the boys' side of the draw. Despite having beaten their opponents collectively in doubles, #1 Sam S., and #2 Adam R. struggled in their singles' matches against the top two Trojans, and fell by (2-6) and (1-6) scores respectively. Trying in vain to turn their opponents' chips and slices into winners at #4 Alex N. (2-6), and #7 Alex P. (0-6) also dropped one-sided contests to their visiting foes, as the Trojans evened the match score (11-all). At #5 Nathan F., (6-1) and #6 Edward A. (6-0) put up a pair of one-sided wins of their own to give the "Dawgs" the lead again (13-11), but the bottom of the boys' ladder sputtered badly as Joe F. (1-6), Josue N. (2-6), Jivan L. (3-6), Sean K. (4-6), and Nick A. (6-0) couldn't get it done on the big points and the visitors reclaimed the lead (13-15), and needed only one more victory from the final two matches to go home winners.
One of the two matches left on court was Carly M. and her Anderson foe at #7, and there was no way it was happening there. Carly's superior athleticism overwhelmed her Trojan opponent (6-0) pulling the "Dawgs" within one (14-15), and putting all the pressure on Kyle F-H, in his #3 match on court #6 against a hard-serving opponent. The match stayed pretty much even most of the way, and after a short break to sort out a scoring "snafu" Kyle got the all-important service break, and evened the match score at (15-all).
While the Trojans packed up in the gathering darkness and headed north there was the usual muttering about "kissing your sister", but of course after the recyclables were gathered, and the attendance forms filled out, there was still the task of determining the winner of the match. In team tennis when the two squads are even in the number of matches won, the first tie breaker is the total number of sets each team has claimed. Since all the matches were made up of only one set, the (15-all) tie score remained.
The next "breaker" is the total number of games won, and the count there made the difference, as the visitors' total (125) barely trumped the home team's (124). Of course after the disappointment passed, the object lesson is that no matter what the score in the match, every game is worth fighting for, because you never know when it will be the one that makes the difference between a win and a loss for your team.
The JV squad will be on hiatus until after next week's Varsity District tournament, but we can't go there without offering many thanks for the support of a large and vocal gallery, and especially to the Tarrillion family for the fresh fruit snacks, and the Rehmann's for additional snacks and energy drinks as well. We'll see you at the net.
October 1, 2008
Again, apologies for "last week's news", but last Wednesday's tennis "happening" against Austin High was worthy of consideration even at this late date. This is the second season for Bowie's "open" (no cut) program, and while the numbers can be somewhat overwhelming (60+ at this time), it is great to see so many young people playing (and hopefully enjoying) our wonderful "lifetime" sport. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that Austin High had joined us by "opening" their program this year, and reported they had 48 players on their squad.
Coach Price and I decided that instead of limiting our JV match to the top seven male and female players on our teams' respective JV ladders, we might try a "Wrigley's" event ("Double your pleasure, double your fun"), and to that end, two activity buses full of 26 Maroons rolled into the Bowie Tennis Center, and were met by two dozen "Dawgs", and the daunting task of getting 36 matches on and off the court before darkness fell commenced with 12 eight game pro-set doubles matches.
On the boys' side, none of the top three match ups cooperated with our "hurry up" schedule as all of them ended up in tie breakers. At #1 the team of Eric Swarbrick and Adam Rehmann jumped out to an early lead, and then withstood a Maroon rally and went on to win the breaker (9-8, 7-2TB). The #2 squad (Kyle Frels-Henry and Alex Nguyen) went at it a little differently; falling behind early, and then coming back to knot the match at (8 all), and eventually win it (9-8, 7-4TB) too. At #3, Jason Alexander and Edward Ahn also jumped out to an early lead, but were forced into a breaker as well, but the score didn't go our way this time (8-9, 5-7TB)
On the girls' side the matches showed a definite pattern as well (lots of 8's and 4's) as the #1 duo of Jessica Ruiz and Becca Rienstra claimed a victory (8-4), but the #2 (Andriana Duran and Meg Jacoby) and #3 (Jenny Hamrick and Jessi Devenyns) pairings respectively turned that score around and fell by identical 4-8 scores to call the match even (3-all) after the "First Flight" doubles draw.
Things did not go the home team's way in the "second" doubles draw, however. The #5 pairs in both draws put up points for the "Dawgs" as Taha Habib and Joe Fix played effectively at the net and claimed a hard fought (8-6) victory, and the girls' duo of Carly Munoz and Anna Hillebrand dominated their Maroon foes (8-1). But Austin High claimed the lead as they scored wins on the boys side as #4 ( William Palavacini and Alex Pedersen) fell (6-8), and #6 (Josue Navarro and Sean Kelner) also absorbed a defeat (5-8). Unfortunately, it was the same story on the girls' side as #4 (Rabia Mahmood and Becca Bresemann) fought hard, but lost (5-8), and at #6 the team of Taylor West and Lily Atilano were crunched (2-8) by their visitor foes making the score (5-7) Austin High at the end of doubles play.
In the top half of the singles' draw, the male "Dawgs" pulled even (9-all) for the match as Eric Swarbick at #1 claimed a tight (7-5) win, Alex Nguyen at #4 dominated his foe (6-0) with his topspin drives, Jason Alexander (#5) finished well (6-4), and "steady Eddie" Ahn won (6-2) at #6 to counterbalance losses for Adam Rehmann (0-6) at #2, and Kyle Frels-Henry (4-6) at #3. On the girls' side of the singles draw, however, the match swung back toward the Maroons, as #1 Jessica Ruiz and #2 Becca Rienstra both fell to the AHS foes they had beaten in the doubles draw by identical (2-6) scores, Jenny Hamrick (#6) fell behind early, rallied at the end, but ended up on the short end of a (3-6) score, and Jessi Devenyns at #5 traded games with her visiting opponent all the way to (6-all) and then lost a heartbreaker in the tie breaker (4-7 TB) after jumping out to a (4-2) lead at the changeover. Meg Jacoby at (#4) returned the favor by snatching a tie break win (7-6, 7-2TB), and Andriana Duran got a measure of revenge for their doubles defeat by downing her Maroon opponent (6-4) to round out the first flight singles with the match score a tight (11-13).
In the bottom half of the singles' draw, the "Lady Dawgs" got the home team back into the proverbial "swing of things" as the "Three musketeers" (AKA #10 Anna Hillebrand, (8-5), #11 Taylor West (6-3), and #12 Lily Atilano (6-4) in her first tournament match) scored big wins that when coupled with a hard-fought (7-6, 7-4TB) win by Carly Munoz at #7, off set Rabia Mahmood's loss (2-6) at #8, and an unfortunate default (0-6) at #9 to even things up again at (15 matches all).
On the boys' side of the second flight draw, #7 William Palavacini used his big serve and heavy ground strokes to dominate (6-1) his Maroon foe, and at #8 Alex Pedersen played his steadiest and smartest tennis ever to gain revenge for his doubles defeat with a (6-4) win over his AHS opponent. However, a blow-out loss (0-6) on a flurry of passing shots to Taha Habib at #9), a pair of (3-6) losses to #10 Joe Fix, and #11 Josue Navarro, and an extremely tough (5-7) defeat to Sean Kelner at #12 left the host "Dawgs" on the short end of a (17-19) match count with darkness falling all around us at the Bulldog Tennis Center. Wow, what a match!
The JV "Dawgs" will swing into action again this coming Wednesday, with a home match against traditional north-side foes the Anderson Trojans. Line-ups will be posted later. We'll see you at the net!
September 30, 2008
The Bulldog Varsity Tennis Team's last couple of encounters with the Stony Point Tigers have been like being caught between a "Round Rock" and the proverbial "hard place", and unfortunately Tuesday evening's trip north turned out to be the "same story, different verse". This match-up would have been the semi-final of the Stony Point Team Tennis Tournament which was "blown away" by Hurricane Ike last month, and the host Tigers have developed into a deep (they had more than 90 players at try-outs this fall), and talented squad. (See attached scoring summary).
The visiting Bulldogs were not a full strength because of some "lost Dawgs", so the line-up needed some adjustments. The doubles' draw consisted of 10 game pro-sets, and on the boys' side Lorenzo Salazar and Jacob Belanger at #1 had their hands full w/a hard serving pair of Tiger, and fell (5-10). At #2 doubles, the pairing of Greg Haugen and Dustin Vuong were able to even the match with a (10-6) win over their opponents, but at #3, the host squad took control of the net early and often, hitting volley and over head winners off of high returns by Ryan Hall and Sam Sydney, and claimed a (3-10) win.
On the girls' side, the "Lady Dawgs" #1 team of Amy Belanger and Carol Pimentel did the same to their Lady Tiger foes and jumped out to a seemingly comfortable (8-2) lead, but there was some cause for concern as the home team won four games in a row before Amy and Carol were able to put them away (10-6). Having to move up the ladder because of our missing players, the teams of Lindsay Graham and Megan Wells at #2, and Lindsey Auchterlonie and Becca Rienstra at #3 both ran into opponents with strong net games and fell by (3-10) and (1-10) scores respectively. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs mixed doubles pairing of Andriana Duran and Adam Rehmann, met a similar fate (3-10), and the doubles draw finished w/the "Dawgs" in a (2-5) "hole".
The singles' draw matches started out as if the Bowie squad might be able to turn things around when Greg Haugen at #1 continued his recent strong play by taking down the "Tigers'" #1 player in straight sets (6-2, 6-4), and at #1 on the girls' side Amy Belanger settled down, eliminated the unforced errors which had vexed her during the Westlake match, and did the same same thing to her Tiger foe (6-3, 6-2).
Unfortunately, the rest of the squad was unable to maintain their momentum as the deeper host team dominated play further down the draw. At #3 on the boys' side, Jacob Belanger's opponent continued his strong play from their doubles match, and his deep serves and ground stroke placements kept Jacob on the defensive the entire (1-6, 1-6) match. The story was pretty much the same for Ryan (#5) and Sam at (#6) who absorbed (2-6, 0-6) and (1-6, 0-6) thumpings respectively.
The results were much the same at the bottom of the girls' draw where #4 Megan (2-6, 1-6), #5 Becca (1-6, 2-6), and #6 Linsey A. (1-6, 3-6) all fell in straight sets. These losses put the match out of reach, and other matches that went on the court were shortened to an 8 game pro-set format and unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the mostly bad news continued. On the girls' side at #2, Carol Pimentel's usually reliable ground strokes disappeared w/the daylight and the inordinate number of unforced errors cost her in a (4-8) loss which was her first this entire season. Lindsay G.'s opponent at #3 singles was just as tough as she had been at #1 doubles, and she claimed a one-sided (1-8) win as did Dustin Vuong's opponent at #4 on the boys' side who won by an identical (1-8) score. The lone bright spot in the pro-set format matches was Adam Rehmann's steady play in an (8-1) "extra" singles match.
However, there was a proverbial "ray of sunshine for the Bulldogs in the gathering darkness as Lorenzo Salazar played some of the smartest tennis of the season in his #2 singles match, which turned into the "match of the day". He had fallen behind early (1-4) to his hard hitting opponent, but wisely abandoned his "exchanging pace" strategy and began chipping and slicing returns to his opponent, and then coming to the net behind them for put-away volleys. In doing so, he rallied to claim the first set from his increasingly frustrated opponent (7-5).
His opponent "wised up" after a confab w/his coach, and played much more under control in the second set and evened the match with a (2-6) win. The decisive third set, was Lorenzo's best tennis of the season. He consistently got his ball toss in the right spot, and his effective first serves let him come to the net for some winners, but he continued to move the ball around and keep his opponent off balance to score at decisive (6-2) victory and claim a hard-fought point for the visitors. Lorenzo's win made the final score (6-14) in favor of the host Tigers, as the "hungry" Dawgs headed off in search of sustenance after the long match.
The Varsity squad is currently scheduled to host the Bastrop Bears in a "friendly" on Tuesday (10/7), but I have been unable to contact their coaches to confirm that match. Further word as soon as it is available. See you at the net.
September 26, 2008
On Friday afternoon, the Bulldog Varsity Tennis squad headed for Westlake to take on the defending state champion "Chaps" tennis squad. We headed out just after 3:00 p.m. hoping to finish a little early so interested parties could catch the big football game afterward, and unfortunately for the Bowie squads, it did not turn out to be a "Dog Day Afternoon" (or evening for that matter).
As usual, the Westlake Varsity squad was deep and loaded w/super champ players, and in many cases the scores reflected it, but the young "Dawg" squad had some bite as well. In the 10 game pro-set doubles format, on the boys' side of the draw, things did not go our way at #2 (Jacob Belanger and Dustin Vuong) and #3 (Adam Case and Ryan Hall) where their Westlake foes took command at the net early and often and handed the visiting "Dawg squads" a pair of (0-10) and (2-10) defeats respectively. At #1, however, if you'll excuse the expression, it was a "dog fight", as the team of Greg Haugen and Caleb Ellis, broke their Westlake foes first service game to take an early lead (3-0). and withstood the "Chaps"comeback to stay even all the way to (8-all). Unfortunately the home team got a service break, and then their #1 player pulled out four consecutive first serve "bombs" to hold for the match at (8-10).
On the girls' side of the draw, a similar scenario unfolded at #1, where the team of Amy Belanger and Summer Biggs fell behind early, but then came roaring back to even the match, and even claim a lead at (8-7), but the host "Chaps" ran the table and the ending was the same unhappy one that played out at the top of the boys' draw with the "Dawgs" losing another (8-10) heartbreaker. At the #3 girls' slot, the "Green Shorts Girls" (AKA Lindsay Graham and Megan Wells) hoped to keep their positive momentum from the Austin High match rolling, but it was not to be as they also fell (5-10).
That left it up to the #2 "Lady Dawg" duo of Allyson Goertz and Carol Pimentel to get the Bulldogs on the board. They looked as if they were going to make short work of it by jumping to a commanding lead (6-2), behind Allyson's strong serves and penetrating ground strokes and Carol's killer put-away volleys, and then traded games a couple of times, but still were up two service breaks (8-4) when "mo" suddenly changed sides, and their Westlake foes went on a fourt-game run to knot the score (8-all), and it looked like Yogi Berra's "Deja vu all over again" for a while. However, Allyson and Carol were having none of that, and got things together again and gained a hard-fought (10-8) win.
In mixed doubles, however, the team of Lindsey Auchterlonie and Adam Rehmann ran into a strong Westlake pair (including their #1 girl singles player) and were whipsawed (1-10) to make the score (1-6) at the close of the doubles matches, with an extremely tough singles draw yet to come.
On the boys' side at #3, Jacob fell behind early in the first set (a pattern we are trying hard to break); came back to even the match at (4-all), but eventually fell (4-6, 1-6) to another strong serving foe. In the rest of the boys' draw, there was no shortage of "snacks", for the strong "Chaps" squad served up a bunch of "bagels" as Caleb (0-6, 0-6 to the defending District singles champion) at #2, Ryan (0-6,0-6) at #6, and Adam Case (0-6, 1-6) at #5 all fell in straight sets. At #4, Dustin also got shut-out (0-8) in a match shortened because the hosts had already claimed the requisite 10 points to win the match. Meanwhile at #1, Greg had hooked up with the Chaps' #1 player in what would turn out to be the match of the day.
While they were pounding away at one another on Court #1, the girls' draw was a tough one for the "Lady Dawgs" as well. At #1 Amy lost a "pace duel" w/the hosts' top player (4-6, 2-6), and at #2 Summer looked like she would be too strong for her opponent, but the ball just kept coming back in a (2-6, 3-6) straight set loss. At #5 Lindsay and #6 Megan suffered similar fates as they also dropped one sided affairs (1-6, 0-6) and (0-6, 1-6) respectively. At #3 Allyson and #4 Carol, came off their tough doubles win, and carried the momentum on though their abbreviated singles matches as they both won (8-2) and (8-5) respectively to post two more points for the visitors.
Much of the gallery at gathered at Court #1 by that time to see the end of the struggle at boys #1. The first set was a "back and forth" affair, but Greg was able to claim a big service break and win it at (6-4). His opponent managed to get his big first serve back on track in the second set, however, and claimed the second set (2-6) setting the stage for the "super tiebreaker" for the third set and the match.
Greg returned serve extremely well during the "breaker", and grabbed a commanding (7-3) lead, at which point his opponent "imploded" and made a series of unforced errors to give Greg the tiebreaker (10-3) and the match (2 sets to 1). The quality of the tennis was tarnished a bit, by some sportsmanship issues at the end of the match, but it was a big win for Greg, and claimed the final point for the Bulldogs in this "good news/bad news" match.
The good news was that we had won four times as many individual matches as we did last year, and competed well in others, but the bad news was that the final match score showed the "Chaps" on top by a large margin (4-15) again making them the favorites for the upcoming (October 14, 15, 16, 17) District Team Tennis championships.
The Varsity "Dawgs" will be in action again on Thursday afternoon this week in a "Hurricane Ike Make-up Match" against the Stony Point Tigers. We would have faced them in the championship semi-finals of their tournament if the Friday matches had not been cancelled because of the on-coming storm. We will need to leave school by 3:00 p.m., so participants will need to be released from 7th and 8th period classes. Line-ups will be posted tomorrow. See you at the net.
September 18, 2008
A somewhat "short handed" (#3 and #5 Boys' players Caleb Ellis and Ryan Hall had an academic conflict caused by the postponement of Tuesday's match) pack of "Dawgs" piled into the bus for the short ride to the Austin High Tennis Center on Thursday afternoon. An additional result of having to change the day of our tournament due to a death in the Maroon Tennis "Family", was having to play an 8-game pro set format through most of the match and further reducing it to a 6-game set because of court conflicts w/teaching pros after 6:00 p.m.
The "Dawgs" approached this match w/some trepidation as the Maroons return every important player from their District runner-up last year's squad, and field a cadre of solid 18's Super Champ players on the boys' side of the draw, while the young Bowie squad has been searching for an identity (especially in doubles) so far. As usual, the doubles matches are on court first. On the boys' side, the first-time pairing of sophomore Lorenzo Salazar (struggling w/some health issues) and freshman Jacob Belanger at the #1 position against a veteran duo from Austin High would set the tone.
After dropping their first two service games and quickly falling behind (0-3) the young "Dawgs" regrouped and decided to bite back. They broke their opponents' serve, and played the #1 Maroon pair even the rest of the way to (5-6) before eventually falling (5-8). At #2 boys' doubles because of our absent squad members, Dustin Vuong was thrown in with the "big Dawgs" so to speak, as he and Greg Haugen faced another strong pair of Maroons. It turned into a similar type of "Dawg fight" as the lead was traded back and fourth w/the Bulldogs leading at (4-3), then falling behind (5-6), and eventually ending up on the short end of an identical (5-8) score, but letting the host Maroons know that there was plenty of fight in these "Dawgs".
Things were also tough down the line as the #3 Boys' pairing of Adam Case and Sam Sydney lost control of the net early and fell (2-8), and the mixed doubles team of first-year players Lindsey Auchterlonie and Eric Swarbrick also dropped a (3-8) decision.
As usual, it was a different story on the girls' side of the draw. The #1 pairing of Amy Belanger and Summer Biggs (also dealing w/health issues) played solid doubles, continually attacking down the middle of the court and capturing the first point for the "Dawgs" with a big (8-4) win. Meanwhile the "green shorts girls" at #3 doubles (AKA Lindsay Graham and Megan Wells), played their best doubles match ever with lots of put-away volley winners for an (8-3) win. Unfortunately, the pairing of Allyson Goertz and Carol Pimentel at #2 couldn't recreate the magic they had displayed in their big win over Round Rock's #1 team last week, and a rash of unforced errors and strong net play from their Maroon foes left them on the short end of a (1-8) score, and the visiting "Dawgs" down in the match (2-5) after the doubles.
The Dawgs had high hopes that they could gain some momentum w/wins at the top of both singles draws, and at #1 on her side, Amy held up her end w/a one-sided (8-2) thumping of the Maroons top seeded player. On the boys' side however, Greg's AHS opponent was running down almost every shot, and ultimately unforced errors on crucial points led to a (4-8) upset of the Bulldogs #1 player. At the #2 slot in both draws, the "health challenged" "Dawg duo" of Lorenzo Salazar and Summer Biggs gave it everything they had against hard-serving Maroon opponents, but in the end ran out of gas and both fell by (5-8) scores.
At #3 on the boys' side Jacob Belanger served notice to his opponent (whom he had also faced in doubles) that he wouldn't be intimidated, as he played his veteran (18's Super Champ) Maroon foe to a standstill. Effectively changing the pace of his shots, and then hitting deep, heavy ground strokes into the corners, he led the match at (7-6), but couldn't hold on and eventually dropped a tough (7-9) decision. At #3 on the girls' side, the unforced errors that had plagued Allyson in her doubles match carried over into her singles match as well, as she fell by a frustrating (3-8) count. The same fate would befall Dustin at #4 on the boys' side. He hit the ball well all day for the most part, but lost too many of the big points (four deuce games) in his (3-8) loss.
Sam served well in his #6 singles match, but had a hard time handling his Maroon opponent's sliced backhands, and fell (5-8) leaving it up to Adam at #5 singles to salvage a point for the boys' singles draw. Things didn't look good early, as his opponent jumped out to an early lead, but rather than allowing his foe to dictate points, Adam decided to attack, and his constant pressure produced a rash of errors and a sweet (8-6) victory.
On the girls' side the "Lady Dawgs" finished with the proverbial flourish. At #4, newcomer Carol Pimentel returned to the steady, error free, tennis she has displayed all season and turned her doubles loss completely around with a satisfying (8-1) victory. The "green shorts girls" continued their strong play, as Lindsay and Megan cruised to lopsided (6-1) (6-0) wins respectively to make the final match tally (7-12) in favor of the host Maroons.
Despite the loss, the strides made in doubles play, and the increased competitiveness of the "Dawgs" could bode well as they head into the second half of the team tennis season. Your young squad will need to be at full-strength and ready to lay it on the proverbial line as they will be tested again on Friday (9/26) of next week when they travel to Westlake to take on the defending state champion "Chaps". We'll see you at the net.
September 11, 2008
With the remainder of the Stony Point Team Tennis Tournament "blowin' in the wind" because of the AISD decision canceling all athletic events on Friday, and Saturday, an intrepid band of Bulldogs boarded the bus for the Pflugerville HS Tennis Center and their first-round match against Round Rock. Missing four of its top players because of scheduling conflicts, the young "Dawgs" were coming off two consecutive heartbreaking 9-10 losses, and needed to have some of their "rookies" step up in a big way if they were going to be "slay" the Dragons. (Match Scores Attached)
Because transportation difficulties delayed Round Rock's arrival at the match site, the doubles matches had to be eight game pro-sets, and the Bulldogs were ready to rumble. The girls' side has been a team strength all season, and today's match was no different. At #1 doubles, the first-time team of Allyson Goertz and Carol Pimentel showed the way. Allyson's deep penetrating serves and ground strokes set up Carol for a ton of put-away volleys as the quickly rolled the #1 Dragon duo (8-1). At #2, Lindsay Graham and Megan Wells struggled with inconsistency early, but finished strongly to claim a second point for the "Dawgs" (8-5). The #3 first-time pairing of Lindsey Auchterlonie and Jessica Ruiz also paid dividends as they made it (3-0) with their first win (8-2).
Things took lots longer on the boys' side of the draw. At #1, the team of Lorenzo Salazar and Caleb Ellis jumped out to a commanding (5-1) lead against their young Dragon foes, but stopped going about their business, and their opponents were able to close to (6-5) before the "Dawg" duo pulled out an (8-6) victory. The #2 duo of Ryan Hall and Adam Case also survived some questionable shot choices in the middle of their match and made it (5-0) Bowie with an (8-5) win. The #3 boys' doubles match was postponed until the end of the match because Dustin Vuong was put on the court early for his #3 singles match because his opponent needed to leave the match site before 5:30 p.m.
Meanwhile the "R Squared" mixed doubles team of Becca Rienstra and Adam Rehmann seized the momentum early to claim a big lead (7-1), and then wandered about in some "shot choice wilderness" while their opponents closed the gap (7-5) before holding serve for an (8-5) win and a (6-0) Bulldog advantage.
Because they had made such short work of their Dragon doubles foes, the "Lady Dawgs" were on the courts first for their singles matches. At #1, Allyson continued her impressive play. Her big serves and strong top spin drives kept her Round Rock foe on her heels, and a diabolical sliced backhand change of pace forced bunches of errors into the net as Allyson claimed her match in straight sets, by identical (6-1, 6-1) scores. At #3 singles, Lindsay G. used similar strategy to move her opponent around the court at will and score another point for the Bulldogs w/ a "book end" victory by the same (6-1, 6-1) margin.
At #2 girls' singles Carol P. finally gave up a game (she had tossed 6-0, 6-0 "bagels" at her opponents in the Dawgs' first two matches), but got back on track with a (6-2, 6-0) match win to keep things rolling for the visitors. At #4 singles, Megan W. was paired against her least favorite type of opponent, a "pusher" whose "soft balls" would usually induce lots of unforced errors. But this time Megan patiently kept her stroke "grooved", didn't try to over hit, and came away with a pair of (6-2, 6-2) sets for another Bowie win and an insurmountable lead in the match (10-0).
Since the Bulldogs were going to be denied the opportunity to play in the second day's matches, it was decided that the additional matches would continue as long as the daylight allowed, and at #6 Jessica R. relatively quickly claimed the first set (6-1), but began to rush things more than a little in the second set before pulling it out (6-4) to make it (11-0) "Dawgs".
You spell "rookie" with two 0's, and Lindsey A. added a couple more of her own as she out did her more experienced "Lady Dawg" team mates with a crushing (6-0, 6-0) win over her Dragon opponent to push Bowie even further ahead (12-0) and close out the matches on the girls' side of the draw.
On the boys' side,at #3 Dustin Vuong , who had been battling both his opponent's ground strokes and his "Reggae" styling throughout the doubles action, claimed the first point, (13-0) and his first singles win of the season with a (6-2, 6-3) win. At #4, Ryan Hall quickly followed suit by throwing zeroes at his Dragon foe in a (6-0, 6-0) shut out to keep the Bulldogs "perfect" on the day (14-0). At #5 Adam Case had taken advantage of his opponent's unforced errors to grab the first set (6-2), but his foe began to come to the net on almost every point, and the second set became a struggle which Adam finally pulled out by a narrow (7-5) margin to make it (15-0).
At #2 singles Caleb Ellis and his Dragon counterpart entered into the "match of the day" in terms of shot making and long rallies. Caleb claimed the first set (6-4), and the second continued on into the twilight. Meanwhile, at #6 singles Sam Sydney's match had been shortened to an 8-game pro-set because of the fading light. The lead swung back and forth, and Sam ended up down 8-7, but put together a string of well-played points to force a tie breaker. Jumping out to a 4-1 lead, he continued his steady play, and despite a frustrating scoring dispute in the middle of the breaker kept the "Dawgs' streak alive (16-0) with a (9-8, 7-4 TB) win.
Round Rock had a #3 doubles team who hadn't been on court yet, so Sam and Dustin rushed back onto the court in an attempt to finish the match before the light was gone. Meanwhile at #1 boys' singles Lorenzo Salazar was nursing a "burn" on his racquet hand, but in a commendable act of sportsmanship went on with his match to give his opponent the opportunity for some singles play. Over on court #4, Caleb put an end to his "marathon", claiming the second set (7-5) and making the match score (17-0) in favor of the Bulldogs.
In way to big a hurry trying to close out their match before darkness fell, a rash of unforced errors hurt Sam and Dustin, and their opponents finally got the Dragons on the board with a (2-8) win. The light was almost "Wimbletonesque", as all agreed that the current game would end the day's play, and Lorenzo won it to tie the set score (8-8), and make the final match count (17-1 and 1 even) in favor of the Bulldogs.
The Varsity squad will see action again on Tuesday of next week as they travel to Austin High for a rematch with the Maroon squad who knocked them out of a trip to Regionals last season. Match times and line ups TBA. We'll see you at the net.
September 4, 2008
No more "Deja vu all over again", this time it was more a case of the Bulldogs seeming to wander into a "Ground Hog Day" type time warp as the Dripping Springs Lions visited the "Dawg" Pound on Thursday. (Match score sheet attached). In the doubles draw (eight game pro sets), there was some improvement for the home team as the #1 boys' team of Greg Haugen and Lorenzo Salazar made it harder than it needed to be with some critical unforced errors, but came away with a victory (8-6). However, the #2 boys' pair (Adam Case and Ryan Hall) ran into a hard-serving pair of Lions and their loss (3-8) evened the match score at one all. At #3 boys, the duo of Dustin Vuong and Sam Sydney started off like "gangbusters", as they quickly took control of the net, and behind a series of winning volleys and overheads jumped out to a big lead (6-1). Unfortunately, however, the proverbial worm not only turned, it did a summersault as their lions' opponents ran off seven consecutive games to snatch a (6-8) victory and put the visitors up (2-1).
On the girls' side of the draw, the #1 team of Summer Biggs and Allyson Goertz again struggled with shot selection and volley error issues, and fell behind (0-6). The got things together and won two games, but their "Lioness" foes claimed the match (2-8). However, the #2 team of Lindsay Graham and Megan Wells turned things around for the home team. They were down (7-8), but saved five match points to square the match at eight all, and then went on to claim the tie breaker and the win (9-8, 10-7 TB). The #3 Lady "Dawg" pair of Becca Rienstra and Jessica Ruiz then evened the match score with a consistent effort and a big (8-5) win. In the "mixed" doubles match, however, the Belanger "bunch" (Amy and Jacob) struggled with put-away volleys, and fell to a less experienced "Lion" pair (7-9).
The singles matches turned out eerily similar to last week's match against the Anderson Trojans. On the boys' side at #1, Greg Haugen evened the match with a dominating all-court performance and a (6-0,6-1) victory. At #2 (Lorenzo Salazar) and #3 (Jacob Belanger), however, a pair of strange matches caused problems for the home team. Their "Lion" foes jumped on Lorenzo and Jake early and quickly claimed the first set of each match by (2-6), (1-6) scores respectively. Instead of "rolling over", however, these "Dawgs" bit back, and completely reversed the scores in the second set (6-2)(6-1) to even both matches going into the deciding tie breakers. Momentum seemed to be on the side of Bulldogs, but disappointingly, the rally fizzled as the "breakers" went to the Lions by (4-10) (5-10) respective scores.
In the other three boys' singles matches, the "Lions" pushed the "Dawgs" to the very edge as Dustin Vuong (#4) and Ryan Hall (#5) got rolled by identical (0-6, 1-6) scores. At #6, Adam Case managed to win one more game, but also fell (0-6, 2-6) to make the match score a familiar sounding (4-9). But again, it was the "Lady Dawgs" to the rescue. At #1, Amy Belanger got things rolling with a quick (6-2, 6-1) victory. Not to be outdone, at #2, Summer Biggs kept it going with a ruthlessly efficient "double bagel" (6-0, 6-0) beat down, and then "fab" Freshman Carol Pimentel matched it with an identical win (6-0,. 6-0) at #4 singles to make the match score (9-7).
That left three matches still on the court with the home team needing to win them all, but suddenly there was only two. At #4, Allyson Goertz, was leading (4-3) when after a cross-over conference with the visiting squad's coach, her opponent was forced to default the match because of an injury to her back. Match score (9-8). At #5 singles, with the blisters on her heels bandaged, and some "way better" socks, Lindsay Graham made a complete reversal of her heart breaking previous week's loss. She dropped the first set (4-6), but really started to "groove" her ground strokes, and her deep, penetrating shots turned the match around with a (6-0) second set win, and then carried her to a (10-7) victory in the tie breaker to even the match at (9 all).
As Lindsay was turning her match around, however, unfortunately for the home team, one of the "Lady Lions" (whom Lindsay and Megan Wells had defeated in their exciting doubles match) exacted a measure of revenge at #6 singles as she jumped out to a big lead against Megan (1-6), and then finished even more strongly (0-6) to claim the match for the visitors for the second straight week, by an identical (9-10) score. Arghh.
Well, back to the proverbial drawing board. Next week, the Varsity "Dawg Squad" will head north for the always tough two-day, eight team, Stony Point Tiger Team Tennis Classic. Thursday after school, they will face the Round Rock Dragons at the Pflugerville HS tennis center in the opening match. An 8:00 a.m. Friday start time for their second round match will require that squad be ready to board the bus no later than 6:30 a.m.. The final matches in both the Championship and Consolation brackets will start one hour after the completion of the morning matches. The Friday match sites and opponents will of course be determined by the results of the first round matches.
In a continuing attempt to get a challenge ladder for the burgeoning Bowie squad in place by the end of the week, and determine the line-up for the Stony Point tournament , practice on Tuesday will be exclusively for the JV squad, and Wednesday's practice will be for Varsity squad members only. A field trip list for Varsity members participating in the Stony Point tournament will be published, and tennis class members who are not taking part in the Tiger Classic will need to sign in on the attendance sheets at the circulation desk in the library in order not to be counted absent. We'll see you at the net.
September 3, 2008
The cooler NE breeze (thanks Gustav!) was much appreciated as the JV Bulldog tennis team piled onto the bus and headed to Westlake HS for their initial match of the Fall Team Tennis Season. They were greeted by a beautiful new court side tennis/softball facility with restrooms (inside/outside), showers, offices, storage areas, et al. (a shame envy is still on the deadly sin list), and the same kind of deep and talented Chap squad that always seems to be there. Ouch.
The doubles matches were played first (eight game pro set format), and almost immediately a disturbing pattern became evident as the #1 (Sam Sydney/Alex Nguyen), #2 Boys' (Adam Rehmann/Nathan Fish) and #1 Girls' (Jessica Ruiz/Becca Rienstra) duos all were plagued by unforced errors, fell behind early, and ended up on the short end of identical (2-8) match scores. The #3 girls' pair (Jenny Hamrick and Jess Devenyns) made a slight improvement, but still fell (3-8). Things looked more promising at #3 boys' (Erick Swarbrick/Edward Ahn) and #2 girls' (Meg Jacoby/Andriana Duran) where the "Dawg" squads played much more consistently and actually held leads; (5-4) and (6-5) respectively, before their "Chap" foes turned the tables and came away with a pair of (6-8) wins that left the visiting south-siders in a big hole (0-6) in the match count.
Things finally took a turn for the better as Jason Alexander and Kyle Frels-Henry played very steady tennis and finally put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard with a win (8-5) at #4 Doubles (no mixed doubles match was played).
It was agreed that there wasn't enough daylight for best two out of three set singles matches, so 10 game pro sets were the chosen format. It was almost "deja vu all over again" at the top of the boys' draw as Adam R. (#1) had some great rallies, but couldn't handle the hard serving #1 "Chap" chap and fell (2-10) while Alex N. (#2) and Nathan F. (#3) couldn't match the consistency of their "Chap" foes in identical (0-10) blowouts. At #4, Erick S. jumped out to a nice lead (4-0) just as he had in doubles, but couldn't hold on and fell (5-10).
At he top of the girls' draw Jessica R. (#1) and Becca R. played steadier tennis, but still fell by (4-10) and (3-10) scores respectively. Then Jessi D. (#5) and Meg J (#3) both struggling on "deuce" points made it "two pair" with identical (4-10) and (3-10) match counts, and at #6 boys' Edward A. completed the "full house" w/another (3-10) loss. On court #1 Andriana D. and here Westlake foe at #6, engaged in a "marathon" which featured exceptionally long rallies, and even though Andriana got off to an early lead (3-2), her opponent rallied for another Westlake win (5-10).
At girls' #4 Jenny H. played more consistently, but unforced errors at inopportune times cost her in a (1-8) loss in a match shortened because it was the last to go on. Meanwhile, the biggest crowd of the evening gathered at Court #7 to watch what turned out be the feature match of the meet as Jason A. and his "Chap" foe at #5 singles pounded away at one another in a back and forth contest that went right down to the proverbial wire. Jason was up early, but a "Chap" rally squared the match at (7-all), and pulled ahead (7-8). Jason fought back to (8 all), but then faced match points with his opponent up (8-9). He squared the match again at (9-all), pulled ahead (10-9), and had three match points of his own at (40-15), but three agonizing unforced errors evened the match again at 10 all.
Jason fell behind early in the tie breaker (0-2), but the "roller coaster" nature of the match continued as he rallied to reclaim the lead at (3-2), and it was back and forth right to the bitter end when Jason's forehand return caught the net and gave his opponent a heartbreaking (10-11, 5-7 TB) win to keep the visiting "Dawgs" from tallying another point and making the final match score a lopsided (1-18).
While the outcome was disappointing, the year's first outing pointed to many things the Bowie squad must do (cut down on unforced errors, concentrate on winning "big" points) if it is to be better prepared for its next outing against another perennial district JV power, Austin High, on September 24th. See you at the net.
August 28, 2008
After a week of dodging lightning and rain showers, the Bowie varsity tennis squad should probably just count its blessings for making it all the way through Thursday's season opening match against the Anderson Trojans, but the nail biter that ensued was not for the faint of heart. The match was to be eerily reminiscent of last fall's District Tournament match when the same two teams had squared off in the third-place match.
Team tennis matches begin with the seven doubles matches, and it was readily apparent that the home squad has lots of work to do if they aspire to reach the "Doubles your pleasure, doubles your fun" place which is sung about in the chewing gum ads. In almost every instance, the veteran north-side visitors quickly jumped on the young "Dawg Squad"; all of whom were playing with different partners this season. In the boys' draw, the #1 squad of Greg Haugen and Lorenzo Salazar were locked in a tight match w/the Trojans' #1 duo, and the match turned on one service break. Unfortunately for the home team, it was during our service game, and the loss (6-8) put us down (0-1). The #2 (Caleb Ellis/Dustin Vuong) and #3 (Ryan Hall/Adam Case) pairings turned in consistent performances, but unfortunately they were both (2-8) losses against more experienced foes; leaving the match count at (0-3).
Things started on a more positive note in the girls' draw as the #3 squad of Megan Wells and Jessica Ruiz made short work of their Trojan opponents (8-1) to put the home team on the score board. At both the #2 (Carol Pimentel/Lindsay Graham) and #1(Summer Biggs/Allyson Goertz) slots, the Lady Dawgs fell well behind their foes, but in both matches came back strongly to pull even at 6-all. Unfortunately Carol and Lindsay lost their momentum and the match (6-8). On court #4, Summer and Allyson went on to pull ahead 8-7 and were serving for the match, but it was not to be as unforced errors cost them the next game (8-8), the ensuing tie breaker (3-7) and the match (8-9), leaving the match score at a discouraging (1-5) count.
In the mixed doubles match, the news was better as the Belanger "bunch" (Amy and Jacob) overcame some unforced errors of their own and their north-side foes (8-6) to make the match count (2-5) as the doubles matches finally came to a close.
When the singles matches got underway, it was sort of "deja vu all over again" from last Fall's match as Greg grabbed a point for the "Dawgs" at #1 with a hard-fought (7-6, 7-3 TB, 7-5) win, but the strong-serving Anderson squad relatively quickly swept four of the remaining five boys' matches as Lorenzo (5-7, 2-6), Caleb (1-6, 2-6), Dustin (0-6, 1-6) and Ryan (4-6, 1-6) all struggled on big points dropping numerous deuce games and putting the home team in a deep (2-9) hole.
However, it was the "Lady Dawgs" to the rescue as the girls'singles matches went on court. Megan got it started again with a win at #6 singles (7-5, 6-0), and Allyson left her opponent in tears with a (6-0, 6-1) beat down. Newcomer Carol Pimental claimed her first Bowie match win by rallying in both sets to keep it rolling with a big (6-3, 6-3) win. The sun was beginning to set, but Bulldog hopes continued to brighten as #1 Amy Belanger (6-0, 6-2) , and #2 Summer Biggs (6-1, 6-2) came off the court w/the match balls, smiles, and a couple more crucial wins for the home team to bring the match count to 8-9 with two lonely "Dawgs" still out there battling for the match.
At #5 singles, Lindsay Graham had fallen behind in the first set, but rallied to claim the tiebreaker (7-6, 7-4 TB), about the time #4 Jake Belanger went on court for the final boys' singles match. Since day light was rapidly fading, it was agreed that Jake's match would have to be a 10 game pro-set, and he was able to claim at 10-6 victory for the home squad. Unfortunately things began to go south for Lindsay as she dropped the second set (3-6), and just didn't seem herself in the third set super-tie breaker as she fell (2-10). When asked if she was OK, she said yes, and made no excuses, but when she got to the tennis shed both of her shoes were red with blood stains from broken blisters on both heels which had been rubbed raw during her long, hard fought matches.
Despite the big rally and Lindsay's gutsy effort, the home team ended up on the short end of a heart breaking 9-10 season opening loss reversing the outcome from last years' match when the Dawgs claimed the third place medals in the district tournament 10-9 against the very same Trojan foes under almost identical circumstances. The loss leaves the Bulldogs with plenty to contemplate before heading to their next outing at the Stony Point Team Tennis Classic on September 11th and 12th where these very same Anderson Trojans are among the entrants. There will need to be big improvements in doubles play on both sides of the draw if the "Dawgs" are going to be able to be able to "bite" back. See you at the net.