SMS Tennis

Congratulations to our Varsity double champions and Varsity Girls Recreational Champ. John Euart and Scott Weiss defended their title from last year to win the Varsity Boys Doubles Championship. Courtney Taylor won the Varsity Girls Recreational Title.

Congratulations to everyone for a successful tournament yesterday.  I was so proud of all the player's effort and demeanor on the court as they represented our school.  You may keep your shirt until we have school pictures in the future.  Thanks for a great time and great team! 

Coach Taylor
  
  Final Comments on Players:
  
  Thomas Carrier (only in 5th grade) played 3 matches yesterday and lost in the JV Recreational Finals!  He probably had the longest game I've ever seen with about a million deuces, I walked away several times and came back and they were still at it!  He had an impressive comeback in his semi-finals match. 
  
  Courtney Taylor won Varsity Girls Recreation!  She had to do it the hard way by playing one extra match then everyone else back-to-back.  Her semi-finals match was her toughest, with every point being a long rally.  On top of that, she won with Tim's racket because her racket was MIA until a toddler walked up with it.  
  
  John Euart & Scott Weiss successfully defended their Championship title in the Boys Varsity Doubles.  They are the only team to win back-to-back 2 years in a row in the history of the DPL Tournament!  (FYI - this was the second annual, but still, it will be a hard record to beat unless someone in JV plays up in the future)  They too had to play an extra match and had several close nail biters where they had to come from behind to win.  They were playing in the dark and finally under lights, finishing around 8:00 p.m. I'm very proud of these guys for their style, attitudes and athletic ability.  They put the "FUN" in practice each week.
  
  Our Varsity Competitive Boys:
  
  John Stone & Andrew Chittoor (6th grade) gave it their best in shot in a division with ranked players in the state.  I regret where they were placed in the tournament and hope they will not hang up their rackets based on that experience.  John has a good solid tennis game and Andrew has a lot of potential with 2 more years in the DPL. 
  
  Tim Nguyen, our best player, unfortunately had to play a super-champ in the first round.  He has been a champion to all of us on and off the court as the unofficial Team Captain.  He is the go-to guy for everyone, "I need a racket", "help me warm-up before I play",  "how do you keep score", "show me how to serve" - Everyone looks up to him and I am proud of his effort in this sport outside of school.  He has another chance to play some of these guys again next week in a ZAT tournament in Tyler...."Go Tim!"
  
  Daniel Nguyen (2nd grade) - our team mascot who came to every practice with his big brother was a delight to have around and will no doubt be a threat in DPL in 5th grade!
  
  Ellie Logan played Varsity Recreation and won her first match!  She had to forfeit to leave early to play in her band at Autumnfest.   I am proud of her tennis practice outside of school and in Austin to prepare for the tournament.
  
  Alex Leitnick played Varsity Recreation.  This was his first tournament experience and he did a great job.  He is the most improved player from the first day of practice to the tournament and I am proud of his determination and effort.
  
  Our JV Recreation Boys:
    
  Eddy Calderon had a tough opponent for his first match.  He may have lost to the winner, I didn't see the final outcome.  Eddy has what it takes to be a successful tennis player, a competitive spirit and raw talent.  I expect to see him go farther next year.
  
  Erik Kirkegaard made it 2 rounds in the tournament, losing to a boy who had to cheat to win.  It was a hard match to watch, but a learning experience for Erik I'm sure.  Everyone can learn from his experience how important it is to say the score loud and clear before each point and to question bad calls and disputes in the score immediately.  Erik too will be a very good player in the years to come.
  
  Finally, we have our "Mystery" Varsity Boys Double Team.  "Who is going to play with Hank Tobolka?" was the burning question all month.  Peter Dykes showed up on game day and the two fared very well on raw athletic ability alone.  They won their first match and proved to be worthy opponents.