Clark Shannon ’17 lines up at the baseline. He bends his knees slightly, getting ready for the opposing team’s serve. Hard and to the right, Shannon lunges, narrowly returning it across the net. The W.T. White player knocks a strong forehand back to him, but Shannon easily returns it, shooting the ball into the far back right corner of the court, taking the point and the match soon after.
The Jesuit tennis team has added to its strong season with two more victories against W.T. White and Irving McArthur on September 29 and October 6. Jesuit allowed just one point between these two matches, winning by the scores of 11-0 and 11-1 respectively. These two huge victories bring the Jesuit tennis record up to 6-3 as they continue to play through their very tough season.
The team began this two game set with a clutch win against the W.T. White Longhorns. After having lost a couple games against Highland Park and Allen in the past few weeks, the Jesuit tennis team proved they were still one of the best in the state in their win against White. Shannon said, “It was great to get another win under our belt. We had struggled a little bit in the past few weeks, but we were really able to bounce back.” The Rangers started Marcello Pier ’18 as their no.1 single for the first time, a key choice in their decisive victory. Head Coach Paul McDaniels remarked on the decision saying, “We knew he and Jason [no. 1 singles player for White] would be a good match up and this was an opportunity for Marcelo to see what the pressure was like to play at No. 1. I thought he handled it really well.” This was a great win for the Rangers and it was quickly followed just days later with a match against Irving McArthur.
Jesuit topped Irving McArthur, continuing their unbeaten streak in UIL play. Adding on to their great season, Jesuit ultimately proved too much for McArthur to handle, allowing only 1 point the entire game. Freshmen Max Moundas, Austin Aiken, and Kota Ueshima really stepped up and played great games, winning both their singles and doubles matches. Their performances were equally matched by upcoming star Carlos Riddle ’17 who annihilated his opponents in singles and doubles. Riddle told the Roundup, “I felt really good going into the match. All of my game just seemed to be clicking on the court and luckily I was able to bring home a win for my team. I definitely hope I am able to keep preforming at this level as the season goes on and competition gets even tougher and tougher.”
With these huge wins to add on to their season and the momentum they have gained from these past couple games, there is no doubt, the Jesuit tennis team will be one of the toughest teams to beat in the state. Although they will encounter many tough matches in the next few weeks, we hope to see the Jesuit tennis team continue to compete as the high level that they performed in these two matches.
Make sure to congratulate the tennis team members as you see them walking in the halls this week for an awesome performance!
