Boys’ tennis team is off to a strong start

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, September 19, 2018

The first two weeks of the Vashon boys’ tennis season is off to a good start. The team had a lot of work to do, having lost three top players from last year’s strong team. Still, thanks to summer practices, a skilled returning core and a large turnout of new players, the team looks to be quite deep and potentially strong again.

The first week started a little rough with practices hampered by smoke, a few missing players and a bit of sorting out needed in order to get in the flow of the season. The league opener was Sept. 6 against Charles Wright, who, as expected, brought a very good team. Vashon lost 1-4, but this match was closer than it sounds; two doubles matches went down to the wire, and had they gone our way, we would have come away with an upset. There was good play all around for the Pirates with Mason Rice, who normally plays doubles, getting the lone win at no. 2 singles. The next day the Pirates travelled to South Kitsap. South Kitsap is a 4A school, but this is usually a pretty even matchup for us, and that again proved to be the case, with Vashon coming away with a hard-earned 3-2 win. After Hank Rogers lost to a tough player at no. 1 singles, Towner Anderson returned to the team and got a nice win at no. 2 singles. JJ Bogaard/Mason Rice followed that up with a strong performance at no. 1 doubles, as did Cam Bedard/Zach Van Dusen at no. 2 doubles, both teams winning in straight sets. Alex Hitchcock/Evan Keppler lost a heartbreaker in a third set tiebreaker. The Pirates have a deep team, and their depth showed as they dominated the JV matches. This was a nice win to even out the Pirates record and get back on a winning track. More importantly, the team showed improved play and great team support.

The following week the Pirates traveled to Cascade Christian for another league match. This match was a treat because with the threat of rain, Cascade had reserved indoor courts. Cascade has a young, inexperienced team, and the Pirates won 5-0 along with their lone JV match as well. Winning matches in straight sets were Anderson, Rogers, Rice/Bogaard, Bedard/ Van Dusen, Sam Profit/Marley Kott and Connor Breen.

Next up for the Pirates was another away match against Auburn Mountainview, a 4A school with a strong tennis program that looked to be a challenging match for the Pirate squad. Fortunately the rain held off, and the Pirates played their best match of the season. Anderson turned in a great effort against a very hard-hitting opponent, winning 6-3, 6-2 at no. 1 singles. Rogers followed that up with a clean, well-played 6-1, 6-4 win at no. 2 singles. Rice/Bogaard played an excellent match at no. 1 doubles, but fell in a tough third-set tiebreaker after splitting the first two sets in tiebreakers. Bedard/Van Dusen then sealed the 3-2 team victory with a clean 6-2, 6-0 win. Number 3 doubles again turned into a marathon; Jon Maciejewski and Evan Keppler could not finish their match, which was in a second-set tiebreaker as the rain finally forced them to quit.

The Pirates JV matches also went well. Playing several matches and getting some nice wins and great experience were Breen, Diego Escame-Hedger, Lucas Shoenberg, Lucca Shattuck and Jackson Mallory. With three straight road wins, the Pirates elevated their record to 3-1.

This week the team played Curtis at home on Tuesday, after press time, and will travel to Charles Wright for a rematch on Friday. On Saturday, they will play a round robin with Puyallup, Emerald Ridge and Kentridge. In the past this has been a fun day of tennis with lots of unusual and interesting matchups. With three newly resurfaced courts, the matches should be better than ever.

— Pat Mulvihill is the boys’ tennis coach.