The rhythmic pops of rackets hitting balls, the grunts of a straining athlete, and the bounce of a ball on the court permeate every tennis tournament. Yet, those all familiar sounds will pause temporarily as the fall season closes.
After a thrilling season with ups and downs, the Jesuit tennis team finished their season strong, dominating district foe Coppell on November 15th with an 11-7 win. This victory was a strong finish in the final leg of the fall season, a season of much triumph for the gold team, which finished with a 13-1 record.
After trailing in a few doubles matches after one set, the team came back to take a 5-1 lead despite their slow start. Hayden Kissee ’17 and John Lindberg ’18 were able to score a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 win, while the pairs of Kota Ueshima ’19/Joey Cistulli ’17 and Marcello Pier ’18/Nico Cornejo ’18 also triumphed in their matches.
When asked about the performance, Coach Paul McDaniel commented that “doubles started off really slow and it was obvious we were missing a lot of easy shots just because most of the guys had been taking the time off. It was great as we got further into the match. The focus and intensity increased, and coming out of the doubles up really fired the boys up.”
In addition to their doubles victories, Cistulli ’17 and Kissee ’17 each brought home noteworthy singles victories.
All in all, it has been a great first half for the Jesuit Rangers Tennis team. The spring season will begin on January 24th against Trinity Christian Academy, so be sure to be on the lookout for more success and more coverage of the tennis team by The Roundup.
