The sun beats down on the Jesuit Tennis player, as he lines up at the baseline, determined to win the next point. His left hand tosses the ball straight in the air, followed by a power swing. Zipping over the net, the ball bounces perfectly on the line. Even with the perfect serve, the talented Allen player returns the serve to the far right corner of the court, impossible for Carlos to return, winning the game and taking the set soon there after.
Coming off a strong win against Plano East, the Rangers’ undefeated record fell to 2-1 on Friday, September 4th. The total score was 10-14, greatly contrasted by their previous wins of 19-4 (Plano East) and 12-0 (Sunset). Allen has always had a top-notch tennis program, which Carlos Riddle ’17 describes as “tough to beat.” Allen is consistently one of the strongest teams in the league, with players competing in the state tournament last year and a 2014 overall record of 17-6. When asked about the match, Clark Shannon ’17 said, “Yeah, it was a hard loss, but we’ll keep our heads up. We played hard and we’ll get them next time.” Captain Federico Pier ’16 emphasizes the team work required in each tournament saying, “We played very well, our top six played phenomenal, yet Allen simply had more depth.” With a total of 20 players on the roster, the team will need to rely on more than six players to perform, and it will be interesting to see who rises to the challenge.
This week Jesuit faces off against Highland Park’s favored squad on Friday. Team captain Federico Pier ’16 has high hopes for the showdown, commenting, “We feel like we match up well with Highland Park, and we are confident that we can pull an upset.” After Highland Park’s loss to our talented doubles team of Hayden Kissee ’17 and Campbell Frost ’16 by the score of 2 sets-1 set in the regional tournament last spring, Highland Park will come ready to play, so let’s hope the Rangers come off the Allen loss with a chip on their shoulder and snatch another victory. Even with the talent on Highland Park, the Roundup expects to see a repeat of last years regional tournament, considering how well the Jesuit tennis team has been playing as of late.
Good luck Rangers and remember to go support your team at their tough upcoming match against Highland Park!
