Three different schools, three different matches, all in one day. Kicking it off bright and early in the morning, boys tennis competed in their first matches of the season against Elk River, Mahtomedi and Eagan High School on April 6. The long day concluded with two wins and one loss.
Although the early morning weather conditions were not ideal for tennis with high winds and low temperatures, the tennis team began getting ready for their first match against Elk River as the time approached 9 a.m.
During the first match, despite the wind speeds continuing to pick up, the players were still able to persist and focus on their game. At the end of the match, the Spartans secured their first win of the season with a 6-1 win.
Junior David Schumacher said, “I was able to work a bit better with the wind. I was really happy to get back in the matches. I think that the way this team deals with competition is really positive and fun, so I was really happy to get back into that rhythm.”
The fate of the second match rested on the shoulders of eighth-grader Winston Arvidson as he played into the tiebreaker set against the Mahtomedi Zephyrs with the scores of the first two sets being 4-6 and 7-6.
“The match was really weird. The sun was on one side, and […] the combination [of sun and wind] was bad because you’d serve and then you’d be blinded for two seconds. And also the game, rhythm and momentum, […] it’s basically a marathon, not a sprint,” Arvidson said.
The final set ended with a score of 8-10, which meant the second match, which was also the longest match of the day, went to the Zephyrs with a final score of 3-4.
After the first two matches, the Spartans had lunch and moved to the Eastview High School tennis courts, where their final match of the day against the Eagan Wildcats took place. Once again, the match started out with the coaches announcing pairings for the match and the players shaking hands with their opponents, and then it was game on.
Captain Leo Benson said, “Everything isn’t going to go to plan in these types of conditions, but we’re doing a good job making the most of it, and we had great results in the first match getting the win, and the second match was a really great battle against a good team.”
The Spartans were optimistic heading into the third match with the winds dying down significantly compared to the first two matches of the day, and the sun also came out and shone brightly from the sky.
After an intense battle with loud cheers and shouts of encouragement from each team, the final match unfolded over the span of an hour and a half. The Spartans emerged victorious with another close match of a 4-3 win.
Despite the tennis season just starting up, most players participated individually in off-season training in order to keep polishing their skills and make a smooth transition into the season.
Junior Jacob Colton said, “We all do some off-season training. There’s different clubs around, both [Isaak Senaratna and I] go to this club and train with someone named Chi. I usually do it two days a week and then I have a private lesson.”
With all the training behind the scenes and performance on the courts, the boys tennis team is hoping to make a reappearance on the state tournament stage once again this year after winning for the previous two years.
The Spartans will play their next match at home against the St. Paul Highland Park Scots on Apr. 18 at 4 p.m.
