Now a college athlete, I would say I managed a decent fall tennis season. The first tournament of the season our team traveled 3 hours away to Wilkes-Barre, PA for the Kings Invitational. I played in the top doubles flight with senior Matt (Big Cat) Langsdale. We played Elmira College (NY) and lost a tough one after being up 4-2. We lost the next 6 games to then lose the match. In singles, I played in the top flight as well and was faced up against a player from Oneonta State (NY) and could not keep the ball in play for the life of me. I actually used 2 different demo racquets midway through the match to try to find a spark, but I still lost 6-3, 6-3. In the backdraw I played a player from Rutgers-Camden (NJ) and got a 5-0 lead and was playing great. But then I started missing again...After 4 match points I finally took the match and got my first college win, winning 8-5. The next day in the backdraw I won on a walk over in the semis and played the final against another Rutgers-Camden player. My shoulder killed the whole match but I won easily 8-1 to take the backdraw title.
3 weeks later, our team traveled to Goucher College (MD) in a dual match. I played 2nd doubles with a 23 year old transfer student (Phil) who was playing his first match since coming off of knee surgery in June. So he didn't have much mobility, but since he was 6'4" pounding his serve in was usually enough to win a point. But we played a good match and ended up winning 8-6. Our team was up 2-1 after the doubles matches. In singles, I played 2nd and played against a senior from Goucher. I came out playing great and had 3 set points leading 5-4 (on his serve). I couldn't finish the job though and it went to a tiebreak at 6-6. In the tiebreak, when I was down 2-1, he hit a ball on the line and I hit it back to him and he stopped the point, saying that the line judge called it good. I never made an out call, and I said that so since he stopped the point he lost it. At 3-3 in the tiebreak he said it was 4-2 him so I stopped the match and told him the right score. After a 10 minute dispute between both assistant coaches and us, my opponent said, "Fine it's 3-3. Are you happy?" And that's when my head coach yelled at the kid from off of the court and told him that's where he drew the line. So now more people were getting into it and an old 80 year old man came up to my coach and said, "You better watch it or you're not walking out of here." So after my coach was threatened and that got straightened out we continued the match but I had no energy left, losing that set 7-6 and the next 6-0. Our team was tied 4-4 and it came down to Big Cat's match at 4th singles. Matt was down a set and 5-3. But he came back to force a second set tie break. Matt had never won a tiebreak in his 4 years at McDaniel so due to darkness the 3rd set had to be a tiebreak too. That being said in order to win the match, Matt would have to do what he's never done. And twice. In almost complete darkness Matt did it and our team won 5-4, giving us a 1-0 undefeated record going into the spring.
That was the end of the fall team season, but I played an individual tourney back in Ohio over fall break at One Wellness (where I spend some time training). I played very well, my first serve was as effective as it's ever been, but I still lost my first round match but managed to win the back draw. So my last 2 tourney's I played I won the backdraw (best of the worst).
I also did a little racing as I ran a 5K in Fairport, OH over fall break (I had a busy fall break sporting wise) and came in 2nd overall. That was my first race in 11 months so not bad. I then raced a race this morning at my college and felt completely awful but got 6th overall. So out of shape, I had a nice mini-cross country season.
I plan on playing at the Towpath Thanksgiving Tournament when I'm home over Thanksgiving and play on running a 5K at the Painesville Outdoor Y on Thanksgiving Day....There is my update and have a good day.
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