The top 6 players for the Jesuit tennis team left on February 27th for the Texas Tennis Private School Championship in College Station. Jesuit, paired with Ursuline, went into the tournament as the fifth seed and throughout the two days, won three matchups and lost one.
Match Vs. Cornerstone Christian School (Win 12-0)
At 8 a.m. on Friday, the Rangers and Bears kicked off their first match of the tournament against Cornerstone Christian High School. This match was a breeze for the Rangers and the Bears as in less than two hours, they defeated Cornerstone Christian with twelve wins and zero losses. This strong start instilled confidence in the team going into the second round against AWTY International, a much stronger team. Senior Benjamin Woodard expressed his content with the match saying:
“I was really happy with how I played my doubles and singles match. Winning the first match easily allowed the team to have good momentum as we began to play more difficult opponents in the later rounds.”
Doubles Results:
Van Davidson and Dillon Blanton (6-0, 6-2)
William Wayne and Benjamin Woodard (6-1, 6-1)
Connor Cole and Erin Gan-Dy (6-0, 6-0)
Catherine Hochman and Marie Therese Ducayet (6-1, 6-0)
AnnaGrace Shuford and Ashley Paredes (6-0, 6-1)
Singles Results:
Dillon Blanton (6-1, 6-0)
Mark Scucchi (6-0, 6-0)
Xavier Horler (6-0, 6-1)
Benjamin Woodard (6-1, 6-0)
Mihika Gupta (6-3, 6-1)
Ella Brauer (6-1, 6-0)
Sydney Robinson (6-2, 6-1)
Match Vs. AWTY International (Win 7-1)
Following the earlier strong win against Cornerstone Christian, at 12:30 p.m., Jesuit and Ursuline began their match against AWTY International school. AWTY International school had just beaten John Paul II, making for a much more competitive match. However, last year Jesuit lost in the second round to the Kinkaid School, with this match offering as an opportunity to push further into the draw than ever before.
Doubles Results:
Van Davidson and Dillon Blanton (6-2, 6-1)
Benjamin Woodard and Mark Scucchi (6-1, 6-1)
Connor Cole and Erin Gan-Dy (6-0, 6-0)
Catherine Hochman and Marie Therese Ducayet (6-0, 6-3)
AnnaGrace Shuford and Ashley Paredes (3-6, 6-2, (13-15))
Singles Results:
Connor Cole (6-0, 6-1)
Van Davidson (7-5, 5-2 (incomplete))
Dillon Blanton (6-0, 6-0)
Catherine Hochman (6-1, 4-6, (10-2))
Mihika Gupta (6-1, 3-5 (retired))
Marie Therese Ducayet (2-3, (incomplete))
Match Vs. St. John’s School (Loss 4-7)
Going into the second and final day of the tournament highly motivated, the Rangers and Bears had a strong desire to capture the tournament title. The Rangers and Bears needed to face the number 2 seed St. John’s School in the semi-finals. The match began completely evenly, with the doubles results initially marking the score as 2-2. However, moving into singles, the St. John’s School pushed the overall record to 7-4, pushing the Rangers and Bears out of the main draw and into the third and fourth place bracket. Despite this disheartening loss, the Rangers didn’t lose fighting spirit, later reflected in the last match of the tournament. Senior and Captain Connor Cole captured the emotions following this loss saying:
“Despite losing this match We still fought really hard as a team and it was a great step up from last year. We used the loss as fuel for the third place match which ultimately influenced the win. I’m glad we placed this year and I hope that we do even better next year.”
Doubles Results:
Benjamin Woodard and Mark Scucchi (1-6, 1-6)
Connor Cole and Erin Gan-Dy (6-1, 3-6, 10-7)
Catherine Hochman and Marie Therese Ducayet (6-2, 6-2)
AnnaGrace Shuford and Ashley Paredes (6-3, 1-6, (7-10))
Singles Results:
Connor Cole (6-3, 6-1)
Van Davidson (4-6, 7-5, 11-9)
Dillon Blanton (3-6, 3-6)
William Wayne (0-6, 2-6)
Erin Gan-Dy (0-6, 3-6)
Catherine Hochman (0-6, 3-6)
Mihika Gupta (6-3, 0-6, (4-10))
Marie Therese Ducayet (4-6, 0-2 (incomplete))
Match Vs. John Cooper School (Win 7-2)
In the last match of the tournament, Jesuit and Ursuline faced the John Cooper School. At this point, all players had found a comfortable rhythm. Losing only one match, the Rangers and Bears finished strong, going seven and two and securing the title of third place. This match was by far the hottest, as players were playing in temperatures in the low eighties. The consistent implementation of weekly “lifts” in the tennis curriculum really proved its benefits in this matchup, as opponents struggled much more than we did. This superiority in fitness may have ultimately been the winning factor for the Jesuit/Ursuline duo. Junior William Wayne provided some post-tournament insight:
“It was really exciting for our entire team to place in the top three this year after placing 5th last year. It made the whole tournament even more enjoyable and I am excited to see how we do next year.”
Doubles Results:
Dillon Blanton and William Wayne (6-3, 6-4)
Benjamin Woodard and Mark Scucchi (6-2, 6-4)
Catherine Hochman and Marie Therese Ducayet (6-4, 6-4)
AnnaGrace Shuford and Mihika Gupta (3-6, 4-6)
Connor Cole and Erin Gan-Dy (7-5, 6-3)
Singles Results:
Connor Cole (6-2, 6-0)
Dillon Blanton (6-1, 6-3)
William Wayne (2-6, 0-6)
Xavier Horler (6-4, 6-2)
Erin Gan-Dy (3-6, 3-5 (incomplete))
Catherine Hochman (7-5, 3-5 (incomplete))
Mihika Gupta (5-1 (retired))
Marie Therese Ducayet (4-0 (incomplete))
Despite not winning the entire tournament, Jesuit and Ursuline performed exceptionally well, especially considering that they reached the semi-finals and secured third place in only their second time participating in such an event. Coach Wainwright offered a positive outlook on the tournament:
“We had a great showing with good competition. We fell to the number 2 seed but overcame the number 1 seed to take home third place. It was a fun tournament with many learning moments that we can use to improve as we move closer to our district tournament in April.”
Stay tuned to The Roundup for future tennis news!
