Junior Team Tennis is in Full Swing

All of a sudden I realized it has been almost two weeks since I've blogged about team tennis and the morning tennis lessons. Time flies when you're outside at the courts all morning and afternoon!

Junior Team Tennis

In the last couple weeks, the USTA Junior Team Tennis season in Northfield has come into full swing. All eight teams have had at least one match (two each, except rainouts) and two practices per week. St. Olaf grad Sarah Carlson has taken charge of planning practices and has done a great job of choosing drills that work on all aspects of the game. We've especially focused on doubles strategy, since the matches feature mostly doubles play. The coaches have rotated, spending time with each team at different points so the kids can get as many different opinions as possible. This goes for both practices and matches. Here's a recap of the match results from the last two weeks, including a little more detail from the matches I was at.

12U Fish

In their first two weeks of matches, the 12U Fish team only got in one match due to rain. The team opened with a win over Hastings and then got rained out against South St. Paul. The Hastings match was the first opportunity for the kids to get a taste of match play. Despite howling winds, the kids played well in the 46-22 win (total games won format). Timothy Roback picked up an 8-4 win at boys singles, while Sarah Will cruised to a 8-0 win at girls singles. Griffin Rod and Larson Ringlien fell behind early at boys doubles and made a strong comeback, only to fall 8-6. Hannah Breiland and Joey Malecha (8-2), Jasper Blundred and Matthias Broske (8-3), and Jeremy Nelson and John Krenzel (8-5) were all victorious in doubles play.

14U Roddick

The 14U Roddick team started the summer with wins over Hastings and the Eastview Tornadoes. The team edged out Hastings 38-37 in coach Vinh Bui's team tennis debut. At boys singles, Christof Zweifel lost 8-0 to a tough, experienced opponent who also plays on the 18U Hastings squad. Rachel Will earned a 8-5 win at girls singles. Northfield got doubles wins from James Miller and Ellis Orjala, Molly Smith and Sage Brinton, and Molly Smith and John Miller, all by either 8-6 or 8-5 scorelines. Gabbie Noack and Henry Ganey fell 8-6 at the second mixed doubles spot but Northfield still earned the come-from-behind win.

A week later, the team won again, this time 41-19 over Eastview. The singles matches canceled each other out in the grand scheme of the match, as John Miller lost his 8-1, while Molly Smith won hers by the same scoreline. Christof Zweifel and Ellis Orjala beat a tough team of brothers at boys doubles 8-6, despite Ellis playing with only one good arm. Rachel Will and Sage Brinton dropped just one game at girls doubles, while Gabbie Noack and James Miller also impressed with an 8-3 win. Jack Cuddy and Xena Scholze fell 6-5 in a six game pro set, although the match technically counted as a 8-0 win due to Eastview not having to default the match.

14U Murray

The 14U Murray team lost their first two matches of the summer but gained some valuable match experience at the same time. They opened against the same Eastview team that team Roddick beat, but fell by a single game 35-34 on a day where temperatures topped 90 degrees. Dez Young lost a tough match in a tie-break after being up 5-0, while Olivia Drew ran into a scrappy, consistent Steffi Frederikson and lost 8-1. Christian Bohlen and Zeke Vanderwood played well despite losing 8-2. Julia Russell and Madison Krenzel cruised to a 8-0 win at girls doubles. Northfield also won both the mixed doubles matches, as Ethan Brinkman and Sara Silkensen and Jack Overstreet and Alyshia Crooney picked up 8-6 and 8-5 wins, respectively.

A week later against Hastings, the Murray team lost 41-26 winning just the two mixed doubles matches. Luke Marvin and Madison Krenzel lost 8-2 and 8-1 in the two singles matches. Jack Overstreet and Ethan Brinkman dropped a close 8-5 boys doubles match and Olivia Drew and Julia Russell fell 8-2 at girls doubles. Mixed doubles was again the highlight, as Joe Kreis and Sara Silkensen picked up a 8-2 win and Dez Young and Alyshia Crooney squeeked out a win in a tie-breaker.

14U Djokovic

Team Djokovic earned three match wins but ended up losing their match against the Shakopee Hornets by a score of 43-30. Alex Gunn fell 8-1 at boys singles, while Kelly Gilomen earned a 8-7 win in a tie-break. Northfield also got 8-6 wins from Linnea Goodwin and Candice Anderson at girls doubles and Alyssa Kloos and Jarrett Croy at mixed doubles. Cole Schiller and Ashton Croy suffered an 8-2 defeat at boys doubles, while Schiller and Goodwin lost 8-3 at the other mixed doubles spot.

18U Nadal

The 18U Nadal team opened their summer schedule with an impressive 40-20 win over a team from Fred Wells Tennis Center in St. Paul. Despite some confusion over the score at one point, Andrew Johnson's cool head and quick feet led him to a 8-2 win at boys singles. Kate Arneson also picked up a 8-2 win thanks to her consistency from the baseline. Evan Johnson and Scott Silkensen teamed up at boys doubles and earned a 8-7 win in a high quality match. At girls doubles, Rainah Ward and Hannah Morris got ahead early and never looked back in a 8-3 win. Mixed doubles play saw Tanner Ruppe and Mari Arneson pick up a 8-6 win, despite a minor stoppage when they were 7-4 up due to a sick opponent.

In their second match, team Nadal came out on the wrong end of a 44-32 scoreline against the Eastview Hurricanes. Evan Johnson was caught in a battle at boys singles and eventually lost in a tie-breaker, while Rainah Ward fell 8-0 at girls singles. Andrew Johnson saw action in two doubles matches but lost them both. He and Tanner Ruppe lost 8-6 and he and Hannah Morris lost 8-3 in mixed doubles. Morris and Mari Arneson picked up a 8-5 win at girls doubles, while Kate Arneson and Scott Silkensen came back from 7-2 down to win in a tie-breaker 8-7.

18U Sharapova

The 18U Sharapova squad split their first two matches of the summer as they topped Rosemount 48-8 and then lost to Hastings 38-31. Against Hastings, Jordan Shimek and Annika Johnson won their singles matches 8-3 and 8-0, respectively. Bjorn Bade and Max Nickel beat a brother-brother team 8-5 at boys doubles. The girls doubles match and both mixed doubles matches all saw Northfield win 24 straight games. The teams of Elizabeth Pritchard and Jenna Dixon, Bade and Dixon, and Spencer Jones and Allyson Harris each won 8-0.

In a much more competitive match, the team held a lead but came up short in a 38-31 loss at Hastings. Max Nickel's serve, forehand, and strong net play all helped him to a 8-5 win at boys singles, while Elizabeth Pritchard could not gain any momentum in a 8-3 loss. Bjorn Bade and Jordan Shimek gave Northfield a lead with a convincing 8-1 doubles win but Hastings narrowed the deficit with a 8-4 girls doubles win over Allyson Harris and Jenna Dixon. The match came down to the two mixed doubles matches and Hastings won them both to clinch the win. Shimek and Annika Johnson lost 8-3 at first mixed doubles and Bade and Dixon couldn't win their second straight match, falling 8-5.

18U Federer

Like a couple of the other teams, Team Federer's match against New Prague was decided by a single game, as New Prague won 38-37. Nick McMullen played a marathon tie-breaker to decide his boys singles match but lost it 11-9 to fall 8-7. Sarah Stenz also had a close singles match but lost 8-6. Ollie Hunter and Alex Batiste swept aside their opponents 8-0, while Emily Krenzel and Sandy Carson fell 8-4 at girls doubles. Stenz and Luke Graham also fell by a 8-4 margin at first mixed doubles. Zach Hunter and Collin Graham won their mixed doubles affair 8-6.

18U Serena

In their first match, Team Serena ran into Apple Valley's "A" Team and lost by a score of 48-8. Ike Harer fought his way to two games at boys singles, while Amanda Stenzel mustered one game at girls singles. Christopher Greer and Sterling Harer earned the most games of anyone, as they lost 8-3. Greta Nelson and Karyn Ludewig and William Biemers and Anne Kopas lost by identical 8-1 scorelines. Henry Biemers and Josiah Olson were shut out 8-0.

The teams' second match against New Prague was decidedly closer but Team Serena fell 47-29. Christopher Greer and the team of Karyn Ludewig and Ike Harer each forced their matches into tie-breakers but lost them 7-5. Greta Nelson dropped her singles match 8-3, while Ludewig and Amanda Stenzel fell 8-0 at girls doubles. The second mixed doubles match saw Nelson and Sterling Harer fall 8-2.

All teams have matches this coming week. Check out the Team Tennis website for the schedule.