Tennis is much more than just a sport; it’s a lifestyle, demanding dedication both on and off the court. It becomes who you are rather than what you do, a new identity, new passion, new life. No team truly seems to embody this commitment as well as our very own Jesuit Rangers, who strive to be the best they can be in all situations. With a varsity team consisting of all grades, freshman to senior, Jesuit tennis has many levels of leadership and experience. This highlights the squad’s depth, with not only skillful underclassmen at such a high level, but also successful, well-developed upperclassmen.
Our tennis team fought a tough season this fall, coming out with only one loss against an impressive opponent, a fantastic beginning to the 2013-2014 season. Early in the fall, Jesuit racked up easy wins against Buckner, Frisco, and WT White. In these early matches many of the underclassmen proved their worth with their astounding performances, including Ethan and Hayden Kissee 17′, Andrew Chittoor 14′ and Adam Bartlett 15′.
As the season continued, many different players would continue to impress with their victories and composure, winning most of their matches. Among Jesuit’s tennis elite are Zach Vanderheiden 15′, Henry Haskins 14′, Sam Veatch 14′, Thomas Carrier 15′, and Federico Pier 16′, who early on showed what they were made of. Despite all odds, these players proved their skill and leadership by winning tough singles and doubles matches.
When asked how he thought the fall season went, Coach Paul McDaniel explains that he “was really pleased with how things went” especially considering “our only loss was to the second ranked 4A school in the state” Texas High of Texarkana. Considering their one loss for the weekend, not to mention the year, Jesuit fared well this season against their opponents of varying skill levels.
Finishing up the season with no losses after Texarkana, the tennis team took on an overall 13-1 record. Junior Thomas Carrier describes their record as, ” very impressive” and added that he’s “proud of my teammates.” A 13-1 record isn’t easy to come by in this region, where tough competition is around every corner, especially in Plano. Tennis there has been growing each year and has become truly competitive for Jesuit. Thomas said, ” an undefeated would have been nice,” however added that, “I can’t complain with such an astounding record.”
Coach McDaniel adds that many players stepped up this fall season, standing out as “dominating players” in their matches. He further explains that “Zach Vanderheiden had to play number 1 as a sophomore last year,” which he elaborates to be “very difficult at the varsity level.” He then points out that Zach has “matured” enough to take on this role against to physically “dominate in his matches.” McDaniel also adds that both “Thomas Carrier 15′ and Jackson White 15′” had phenomenal fall seasons as well as ” Campbell Frost 14′ and Pierre Craig 16′.”
According to McDaniel, the spring season will probably “have the same competition as this past season” and that Jesuit will run “the same squad as in the fall.” He explains that, “We’re in a lot of tournaments in the spring to prepare for district play,” tournaments that will help Jesuit to “dominate districts like we have in the past,” and “hopefully win the district championship in the spring.”
As for a run at state, only time will tell which school will win. McDaniel says that “it’s a really really tough region” and there’s “a lot of talent and depth” in North Texas so “we have as good a chance as anybody.”
As for the spring season, nothing seems likely to change much. Similar competition and lineup for district play will hopefully provide a repeat of the fall season,which was largely successful. The Rangers will face a lot of action with multiple tournaments and more district matches as well as potential preparation for the state tournament. But for now the players can only rest from the fall and prepare for the spring in hopes that their future will be a little brighter, and maybe, just maybe victory awaits them in the future.
