Carroll U has one of the top players in the Midwest at the top of their lineup in Jack Michael, and we always have great matches with him. We anticipated another great match between him and Jake Humphreys, but Humphreys was hurt all week, and was not allowed to play Saturday. This left an interesting match-up between old high school team mates as Michael Treis and Jack Michael both attended Brookfield Central together for three years. This time Treis got the better of day and won the match 6-2, 6-1 with aggressive play. To start the day, the number one duo of Treis/Shklyar had to buckle down to win 8-6. At #2 Navratil found his way in the second set winning 6-4, 6-2, but in all six other matches combined the Warhawks only dropped 6 games. This fine performance set the tone for the match the following day. To see all the individual scores from this match, go to: http://www.uwwsports.com/news/2015/2/14/MTEN_0214151337.aspx
On Sunday the team woke early to hit the road for a 6 hour road trip to Greencastle, IN to play the DePauw Tigers. This was to be a tough battle between two nationally ranked programs. Over the years these two teams have really pushed each other in their annual rivalry. Last year it went to DePauw, and the previous year it went to UWW. DePauw is a tough place to play because the fans really come out to make some noise for the home team. After a six hour drive, I was anxious to see how our team would respond. The match was a rare Sunday evening match that started at 5pm EST.
They responded well playing their best tennis of the season to date. At #1 doubles, Treis/Shklyar
knocked off a nationally ranked duo 8-2, and at #2 Laktash/Humphreys won 8-6, before our #3 team of Butler/Beck came up just short of a great comeback. They were down 5-0, and battled back, but lost 8-5 in the end. This meant the team was up 2-1 heading into singles. And we had plenty of momentum. Jake Humphreys was moving well despite his trouble all week with an ankle injury, and he was first off the court with a 6-1, 6-2 win. Then DePauw narrowed the gap to 3-2 with a win at #4. Then Laktash charged for 4 games in a row in the second set after trailing 2-4 to give the Hawks their 4th point. Treis then dub deep and held off his opponent winning 6-3, 6-3 to seal the deal. Shklyar looked to be in good form with his 7-5, 6-3 win at #5. The final match on was an interesting battle. Navratil came back from 1-5 in the first set to force a tiebreak. Then he was down 0-4 in the second set and forced another tiebreak. His opponent was cramping and there were many crazy points in this intense match. But Zane ended up losing 7-6(6), 7-6(4). To see all the individual scores from this match, go to: http://www.uwwsports.com/news/2015/2/15/MTEN_0215155949.aspx
knocked off a nationally ranked duo 8-2, and at #2 Laktash/Humphreys won 8-6, before our #3 team of Butler/Beck came up just short of a great comeback. They were down 5-0, and battled back, but lost 8-5 in the end. This meant the team was up 2-1 heading into singles. And we had plenty of momentum. Jake Humphreys was moving well despite his trouble all week with an ankle injury, and he was first off the court with a 6-1, 6-2 win. Then DePauw narrowed the gap to 3-2 with a win at #4. Then Laktash charged for 4 games in a row in the second set after trailing 2-4 to give the Hawks their 4th point. Treis then dub deep and held off his opponent winning 6-3, 6-3 to seal the deal. Shklyar looked to be in good form with his 7-5, 6-3 win at #5. The final match on was an interesting battle. Navratil came back from 1-5 in the first set to force a tiebreak. Then he was down 0-4 in the second set and forced another tiebreak. His opponent was cramping and there were many crazy points in this intense match. But Zane ended up losing 7-6(6), 7-6(4). To see all the individual scores from this match, go to: http://www.uwwsports.com/news/2015/2/15/MTEN_0215155949.aspx
Zane’s late night antics and our celebratory dinner meant we did not get home until 3am! But it was worth the effort, as the team gained some confidence and great match experience from this trip. The team’s chemistry is really picking up, and it was great to see the players’ support of one another and the focus from the team all weekend. We’ve been working on that early in the semester, so it was nice to see it come to fruition.
The team is back at home this upcoming weekend as we host the Warhawk Invite on Fri/Sat Feb 20th and 21st at Premier Tennis and Fitness in Janesville, WI. On Friday the team plays Ohio Wesleyan at 11am. Then at 2:30 on Friday they face Wheaton College. On Saturday the team wraps up the tournament with a match against Grinnell College at 3:30pm.
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