JS Tennis Triumphs in HVAC Tournament

​The JS Tennis lads found a fire in the belly and played with confidence to finally take one from the Tigers at the Ensworth Tennis Center this afternoon.  After dropping the regular season series 1-4 and 2-3 vs. Ensworth, the tennis boys, "...like so many Alexanders... stiffened the sinews... summoned up the blood," and earned a hard fought 8-7 victory.  

Though four teams (MBA, Ensworth, BA, and GCA) competed today, the finals in each flight were all Ensworth and MBA, effectively earning us a rematch against our toughest opponent of the season.  In the HVAC tournament, each victory earns your team a point with a total of 15 possible points across five flights of play. The fact that MBA's top tennis lads all advanced to the finals means that every player earned a crucial point to secure this team championship.  

Dominant at #1 singles, Bruce Li neither double faulted nor dropped a single game in the HVAC tourney: winning 8-0, 8-0.  And yet, it was Bruce's decision at the beginning of the season to commit to playing for himself and his teammates that earned him man of the match honors for the Big Red.  Rather than accept the invitation he earned to represent Tennessee at the prestigious Ozaki Cup in Rome (Georgia), Bruce chose to play for the MBA tennis team this fall. Bruce's skills on the court and his decision to prioritize his MBA teammates over individual excellence may well have been the difference in today's team tournament victory.  

Another difference-maker this afternoon was Ricky Reynolds, who elevated his game at precisely the right time, earning an 8-1 semi-finals win, and clinching the tournament victory with an 8-4 win in the #3 singles flight.   Lastly, Max Schlosser and Alex Angus remained undefeated on the season as our #1 doubles pair (8-1, 8-4).  Max successfully defended his #1 doubles title from last season (earned with current team captain Charlie Nord), and Alex stepped up in a big way after he stripped off his pesky Apple Watch and left it on the players bench.  Alex will be key in a group of 7th graders that will look to defend this HVAC title next fall.

The entire team of 18 boys were in high spirits after the match, and I'm sure Coach Cunningham will share one of the team photos he took in the days ahead.  Thanks to Karen Matthews for providing snacks and drinks for the team this afternoon.  Special thanks go to Mark Sutton, Mike Anderson, Mike Martin, Dana Noonan, Liz Nelson, David Smith, John Vernacchio, Nat Byrd, Susan Cobb, William Daughtrey, Dylan Cunningham, Palmer Thombs, and especially Coach Caroline Scholer for all the support, planning, and detail that have gone into this memorable season.  

Roll Red Tennis,

Coach Bromfield