“You always want to win. That is why you play tennis, because you love the sport and try to be the best you can at it” -Roger Federer. I Couldn’t have said it better myself, and what a great way to describe Jesuit’s very own tennis team, a team rooted in similar principles of passion, dedication, work ethic, and success. In only the second week of school the tennis team has already jumped into the swing of things, competing in 4 district matches for the 2013-2014 season.
Starting the season off smoothly, the Ranger tennis team has swept through their opponents thus far, donning a confident 4-0 record. Despite daunting opponents and frightening obstacles facing the team this year, Coach McDaniel predicts that the team will “do well and win.”
In the season opener against Berkner, Jesuit’s new and veteran players shined, presenting a promising beginning to this year’s season. Freshman brothers Ethan and Hayden Kissee proved a strong fit for Jesuit’s team as they won their first matches as Rangers with ease.
According to McDaniel,despite the teams “mostly young players,” Jesuit should have “a good chance to succeed” this year. Other match winners were seniors Sam Veatch and Andrew Chittoor and junior Adam Barlett. Taking only 18 players instead of last year’s 28, Coach McDaniel hopes players can “get a lot of play time,” and experience that will help this young team grow strong and competitive.
With a 14-1 match pocketed easily by the Rangers, Mr. McDaniel was looking forward to “a real test of skill” in the match against the always-strong Plano Wildcats. The suspense leading up to Jesuit’s first “real match” was finally exhausted after Jesuit’s starting varsity squad tamed the Wildcats in an astounding performance. Number one singles match wins came from Juniors Zachary Vanderheiden and Campbell Frost. Hard fought singles matches were won by Sophomore Pierre Craig, Bud Dalton, and Junior Jackson White.
When asked about their upcoming match against the Wildcats, Coach said,”Plano senior usually presents tough competition,” so it was no surprise the matches were close, hard-fought wins for Jesuit. Other winners included Junior Thomas Carrier and Jackson White, who easily passed by their matches in their surge through the singles completion.
Jesuits trumped a 2 in 1 on Tuesday with back to back wins against both Frisco Heritage and WT White. Jesuit kept their undefeated status, sweeping the Coyotes 12-0. Juniors Thomas Carrier and Jackson White remained undefeated in season play with easy match wins against Frisco.
Carrier ’15 says that “we have a really good team this year” and that “it should be an exciting season.”
Campbell Frost and Hayden Kissee paired up for their doubles matches, forming a strong duo to defeat their opponents. Clark Shannon won his first singles match after coming off a collar-bone injury, which goes to show the determination and fight of Jesuit’s tennis players. Additionally, Matthew Salazar won his matches, keeping maintaining his undefeated status for this season so far.
Just the same day, Jesuit triumphed over WT White in a series of exhilarating matches, adding another win to Jesuits still unblemished status. Jesuit’s 13-3 win over the Longhorns displayed solid qualities of leadership and skill, with most match wins attributed to starting positions on the Ranger lineup. Winners of Tuesday’s matches included Henry Haskins, Sam Veatch, Joey Cistulli and Federico Pier.
Jesuit faces Lake Highlands next week in a match that should really test the young team’s ability. With such an energetic start to a grueling year of matches, things are looking optimistic for the Ranger tennis team, and who knows? Maybe this is the year for a run at state, after all; the time is now!
Go out and support your Jesuit Rangers next week against Lake Highlands!
Go Rangers!
