As the Fall Season comes to an end, the Jesuit tennis team has added four freshmen and one junior,. The team has displayed its dominance through multiple notable wins this 2024 Fall Season. Only having lost one non-district match while winning all district matches, Jesuit concluded the Fall season consistently and successfully.

Match Against Irving – August 24

Jesuit started the season strong with a 9-0 victory over Irving. Following this first victory, Jack Hardy ’27 offered some insight:

“This win felt great because it set a strong tone for the rest of the season.“

Singles Performances:

Brookes Spurgin ’26 battled through a challenging match, ultimately securing a (5-3, 1-4, 5-4) victory. Jack Hardy played impressively, winning his match with scores of (4-2, 4-0). William Burns ’25 added to the team’s success, taking his match (4-2, 4-1). Branch Dallman ’27 maintained strong consistency, claiming victory with a (4-1, 4-1) performance. Benton Arthur ’27 delivered a solid win, finishing (4-1, 4-0). Finally, Charlie Kennington ’28 matched his teammate’s effort, also winning (4-1, 4-1).

Doubles Performances:

Brookes Spurgin and Jack Hardy played a solid match, winning easily with an (8-2) score. William Burns and Branch Dallman had a closer contest, but managed to come out on top, finishing (8-6). Benton Arthur and Charlie Kennington were in complete control, shutting out their opponents with a perfect (8-0) win.

Match Against JJ Pearce – August 27

Jesuit has had no issue in handling JJ Pearce the last seven times they’ve encountered one another. Some new players such as Santiago Bryce ’26, and Van Davidson ’28, captured their first wins. Bryce expressed his feelings after his first win saying:

“While this win feels special and is important to me, it also serves as a reminder that it’s only my first match, and we have high hopes and goals for the rest of the season. If anything, this match has served as motivation to continue growing as the season progresses.“

Singles Performances:

Number one seeded player Connor Cole ’25 took the lead with his sweep of a win, winning (4-0, 4-0). Similarly, number two seeded Freshman Van Davidson captured his first win of the season winning (4-0, 4-0). Dillon Blanton ’25 followed in their footsteps, breezing through his match at (4-1, 4-1). Number four seed Luke Nettune ’26 came close with his opponent, ultimately losing (3-4 (8), 0-4). Benjamin Woodard ’25 closed his match out in a third set tiebreaker, winning (4-1, 3-4, 1-0 (8)). William Wayne ’26 followed through with the clearly forming pattern, quickly serving his partner two bagels and winning (4-0, 4-0). Brookes Spurgin closely pulled off the win, winning (3-5, 5-3, 1-0 (5)). Sophomore Jack Hardy fought hard to win in a third set breaker, winning (4-1, 2-4, 1-0 (5)). Lastly, Xavier Horler ’28 secured his first win of the season, winning (4-3 (2), 4-2).

Doubles Performances:

Connor Cole and Dillon Blanton secured a dominant win in their match, finishing with an (8-1) victory. Van Davidson and William Wayne also played well, taking their match (8-3). Despite a tough match, Benjamin Woodard and Luke Nettune faced defeat, falling (7-9). On a brighter note, Brookes Spurgin and Xavier Horler had an outstanding performance, winning (8-0). Aadhi Anbuchezhiyan ’25 and Santiago Bryce contributed to the team’s success with an (8-5) win. William Burns and Eli Trauner ’25 finished strong, sealing another victory for the team at (8-2).

Match Against Lake Highlands – September 5

In the past, Jesuit hasn’t had any problems in securing the win over Lake Highlands. This year, Jesuit narrowly got by with the win to uphold that reputation, defeating Lake Highlands in an 11-10 thriller.

Singles Performances:

Line one player Connor Cole had no issues in his match, passing by his opponent with an (8-0) win. Freshman Van Davidson secured another win for Jesuit, winning (8-2). Senior Dillon Blanton captured another victory for Jesuit, winning (8-4). Junior William Wayne continued Jesuit’s strong singles performance, winning (8-1). Senior Benjamin Woodard produced another win with a (8-1) performance. Lake Highlands captured their first win of the day over Junior Luke Nettune (1-8). Sophomore Jack Hardy bounced back for Jesuit with his (8-4) win. Senior Aadhi Anbuchezhiyan clutched a (9-7) win for Jesuit. Senior William Burns and Sophomore Branch Dallman lost their matches (7-8 (5)) and (1-8), respectively. Furthermore, more losses included Santiago Bryce (2-8), Augustus Chu ’28 (5-8), Charlie Kennington (7-8 (1)), and Benton Arthur (6-8).

Doubles Performances:

With the match count at 7-7, Jesuit needed to pull ahead in Doubles. Connor Cole and Dillon Blanton heard this calling, winning their match (8-3), pushing Jesuit ahead in the match count to (8-7). Van Davidson and William Wayne closely lost (5-8). Luke Nettune bounced back from his earlier singles loss in a (8-5) victory alongside his partner, Benjamin Woodard. Jack Hardy and Branch Dallman took the initiative, making their match look like a cakewalk in a (8-2) victory. Aadhi Anbuchezhiyan and Augustus Chu followed in their footsteps, winning their match (8-3). Santiago Bryce and William Burns lost fair and square (1-8), while Charlie Kennington and Benton Arthur put up a fight and narrowly lost (5-8).

Match Against MacArthur – September 10

In a quick encounter with MacArthur, Jesuit breezed through all seven matches to secure the win.

Singles Performances:

Jack Hardy secured a solid (8-3) win, while Xavier Horler and Augustus Chu both dominated their opponents with perfect (8-0) bagel wins. Charlie Kennington fought hard for his (8-5) win, and Benton Arthur added another flawless (8-0) performance to finish out the day.

Doubles Performances:

Jack Hardy and Xavier Horler teamed up for an impressive (8-3) victory. Augustus Chu and Charlie Kennington followed up with a commanding (8-0) win, completing a dominant performance for the team.

Match Against Richardson – September 19

Last year, the Jesuit Rangers plowed through Richardson with an 18 to 3 match count. However, this year, while still claiming the victory, Jesuit cut it much closer, winning 11-9. Senior Connor Cole had this to say about the close match:

“I was very proud of our team being able to win. While we may have lost more matches than last year, a win is still a win.” 

Singles Performances:

In singles against Richardson High School, Connor Cole led with a dominant (8-0) win. Van Davidson followed up with a solid (8-2) victory, while William Wayne secured a closer (8-5) win. Benjamin Woodard battled through a tough match to claim an (8-6) victory, and Luke Nettune had a strong showing with an (8-1) win. Jack Hardy also won a close match at (8-6), and Xavier Horler earned a solid (8-4) victory. Augustus Chu narrowly lost his match (7-8), while Santiago Bryce, Branch Dallman, and Benton Arthur faced tough losses at (0-8), (2-8), and (3-8) respectively. Charlie Kennington came close but fell short (6-8), while Eli Trauner finished with a strong (8-1) win.

Doubles Performances:

Connor Cole and Dillon Blanton set the tone for the doubles matchs against Richardson High School, winning their doubles match with a dominant (8-0) score. Van Davidson and William Wayne followed up with a solid performance, securing a victory at (8-4). Unfortunately, Benjamin Woodard and Luke Nettune narrowly lost their match (5-8). Jack Hardy and Xavier Horler kept the energy high, delivering a strong (8-5) win. However, Augustus Chu and Santiago Bryce struggled in their match, falling (2-8), while Benton Arthur and Branch Dallman also faced defeat with a (3-8) score. Eli Trauner and Charlie Kennington put up a valiant effort but ultimately lost (4-8).

Match Against Berkner – September 24

Jesuit imitated a lossless performance similar to the first match of the season against Irving, beating Berkner 15-0 in the match count. With this win, Jesuit stood at a 6-0 fall season record, declaring themselves as the most dominant team in the 7-6A District.

Singles Performances:

William Wayne and Jack Hardy both delivered impressive performances, each winning decisively with an (8-1) score. Xavier Horler and Augustus Chu dominated their opponents, finishing with flawless (8-0) victories. Branch Dallman added to the team’s success with another strong (8-1) win. William Burns showcased his skills as well, winning his match (8-0). Aadhi Anbuchezhiyan continued the trend with another perfect performance, also finishing (8-0). Eli Trauner secured a solid (8-1) victory, while Benton Arthur rounded out the day with a commanding (8-0) win. Charlie Kennington also contributed to the team’s strong showing with an (8-1) victory.

Doubles Performances:

William Wayne and Benjamin Woodard set the tone with a strong (8-1) victory. Jack Hardy and Xavier Horler dominated their match with a perfect (8-0) win. Augustus Chu and Branch Dallman followed in their footsteps, also finishing without dropping a game at (8-0). William Burns and Aadhi Anbuchezhiyan had a solid performance, winning their match (8-2). Benton Arthur and Charlie Kennington rounded out the day with a convincing (8-1) victory, contributing to a successful day for the team.

Match Against Wakeland – September 27

In their first non-district match of the Fall season, the Jesuit Rangers faced a long-standing rival of theirs, Frisco Wakeland. Last year, Jesuit & Ursuline narrowly lost to Wakeland, and this year they had high hopes of stealing back the win. However, Jesuit barely lost in a 5-7 thriller. While this match didn’t count directly towards district rankings, it still took a toll on the team as the loss broke their total win streak.

Singles Performances:

Senior Dillon Blanton faced a tough challenge, losing his match (4-8). Benjamin Woodard also fought hard but came up short, finishing with a score of (6-8). Mark Scucchi ’27 had a thrilling match, pulling off a narrow victory at (8-7) with a tiebreak win. Luke Nettune struggled in his match, ending with a (3-8) loss, while Jack Hardy also faced a tough opponent, losing (3-8). On a positive note, Xavier Horler delivered an impressive performance, winning his match comfortably with a score of (8-4).

Doubles Performances:

Dillon Blanton and Benjamin Woodard struggled in their first doubles match, narrowly losing (6-8). Luke Nettune and Mark Scucchi bounced back with a solid (8-6) victory, showing great teamwork on the court. Jack Hardy and Xavier Horler struggled in their match, falling with a score of (4-8). In their second match, Dillon Blanton and Benjamin Woodard regrouped and secured a win, finishing at (8-6). Mark Scucchi and Xavier Horler faced a challenging match in their second attempt, losing (3-8). However, Jack Hardy and Luke Nettune ended the day on a high note with an impressive (8-3) victory in their second match.

Match Against Nimitz – October 1

In the last match of the Fall Season, Jesuit dominated Nimitz, securing their third lossless blowout win (12-0). Junior Santiago Bryce had some things to say:

“I’m very glad to have finished out the season with a strong win. I think our dominant performance this season will carry over into the Spring Season and hopefully also into districts and state.“

Singles Performances:

In the singles matches against Nimitz, Xavier Horler and Augustus Chu both won decisively with (6-0) scores. Benton Arthur followed up with a solid performance, finishing his match at (6-3). William Burns also delivered a dominant win, securing another (6-0) victory for the team. Aadhi Anbuchezhiyan contributed with a strong (6-2) win, while Charlie Kennington wrapped up his match at (6-1). Eli Trauner faced a competitive match but managed to come out on top with a close (7-5) victory. Santiago Bryce put the icing on the cake with another perfect performance, winning (6-0).

Doubles Performances:

Xavier Horler and Augustus Chu dominated their opponents with a convincing (6-0) victory. William Burns and Aadhi Anbuchezhiyan fought hard to secure a close win at (7-5), while Benton Arthur and Charlie Kennington also emerged victorious with a matching score of (7-5). Eli Trauner and Santiago Bryce paralleled their previous success with a strong performance, finishing their match with a perfect (6-0) bagel win.

Season Recap Interview with Head Coach Mallory Wainwright

How do you feel about Jesuit’s performance this Fall Season?

“Overall, I’ve been really impressed with our guys, especially in our district play. It’s not always easy to have a good mentality going into a match in order to perform at your best, and I think that our guys have really taken that challenge on and performed well. But in general they’ve definitely exceeded my expectations this Fall.”

Are there any things you hope to see improve in the upcoming Spring Season?

“Yes. I just talked about the mental game of tennis, and I would like to do some work with the mentality. A big thing is having a more positive attitude on court. Of course fitness is always a big issue. It’s a challenge that we have to always keep in mind. So [the] main focus for the Spring Season is increasing fitness to increase the ability to recover from those difficult matches, and that in and of itself will increase our performance.”

As Head Coach, how have you managed to cause such drastic change in performance compared to last year’s results?

“I think the biggest thing has been changing up the way that we run our practices. We’re in the Dell lifting more, but we’re also focusing on that endurance, that fitness, along with the actual tennis playing. Something else that has also been crucial is keeping up the footwork. We have been working on that a lot. Lastly, we’ve been working on match play more because closing out those matches can be a lot more difficult if you don’t have a whole lot of experience.”

That summarizes the Fall Season! Stay tuned to The Roundup for future tennis recaps and news!