Mid-Season Update

Everything is going great for Bridgewater Men’s tennis so far in the ODAC conference. We have an undefeated record in conference play, and have held our own against some tough teams outside of the conference to the likes of Averett, Methodist, and Baldwin-Wallace. It's as if we were tired of losing to these teams 5-4 going into yesterday’s match against a tough contender in the conference, Emory & Henry. We went down 3- 0 after the doubles and really had to dig out of a hole to pull out the win. This time, we won 5-4. It was really a great feeling after having 2 previous losses by the same score. We were down after I lost my singles match and had to take the remaining 5 spots to pull off the victory. So many a props do to my team for getting things done yesterday.

After half way through the season, everyone is really finding their 'a' games for the tougher stretch of conference matches we will face. Peter Hawkins and Brad Dewitt have only lost 1 match each, and are playing some of the best tennis of their life. Teddy Callow seemed to return to find a new level with a big win over a great player named Bruno. He has been hitting his forehand lights out since. Brent Floyd has yet to lose a match and Martin Donaire displayed some clutchness similar to Chauncey Billups in yesterday’s match.

With it being said how outstanding our team is playing, there is still much to improve upon. Our doubles play has been inconsistent, and this is the second straight time we have won a match, having lost all 3 doubles spots. This has been addressed countless times and we are getting back to the lab to figure things out. Also, we play Washington and Lee at home on Wednesday. Everyone should come and watch. The match is against one of the best teams and the ODAC, and we are hoping to prove to the naysayers that we can hang with these great teams. In the past, we have had success at a few spots against W and L, but they have such depth in their line-up. Hopefully, we can keep the Fiyah burning against the Natty ranked Generals.

One new dilemma the team has been facing is the team cheer. We don’t have the intensity and population of Bridgewater football and our huddle really shows the low intensity, or a lack there-of. The usual chant, “What comes after A” “B C!” seems a little outdated although it is a fan favorite. We just don’t make it loud enough unless the girl’s team joins the huddle. Also the adage has really grown older than the dirt in which it sleeps. Throwback jerseys are pretty cool, but sometimes you have to go with a fresh Chauncey. Any suggestions?

In conclusion, come out and watch Bridgewater take on W and L on Wednesday. You will have a great time. I assure you. Also, I would like to thank the athletic department for the amazing coverage of Bridgewater athletics. It is definitely one of the best athletic sites I have seen. I cannot think of many other schools that have highlights, blogs, and BC Hotseats along with so many other things.

Take power naps, run victory laps,

~Chris

Spring Break Recap

Coming together is a beginning.
Keeping together is progress.
Working together is success.
~Henry Ford

An Awesome week of Tennis, Sunshine, Beaches, and Team Bonding!!

The teams have just returned to Bridgewater from yet another amazing spring break trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina. We were blessed to have great weather all week all week so we were able to get all of our scheduled matches in as well as an additional match added to the schedule during the week. We faced some tough competition including a Division II team. The lady Eagles fought hard all week. We lost 7-2 to Methodist University on the way down to SC, won against Trine University, lost a close match 5-4 to Division 2 Millersville College, and lost a tough match the next day to Marian College from Indiana. Towards the end of the week, fatigue set in as we battled through 4 matches in 5 days. Playing matches back to back is always tough early in the season when we aren’t in “match shape” which is much different from practice shape, but it prepares us well for the remainder of the season when we will frequently have back-to-back matches. Coach talked to us about our results during the week. We were all a little disappointed that we weren’t able to pull out one or two more wins, but coach was optimistic about our upcoming ODAC matches after playing a tough schedule during spring break.

Besides playing tennis, the teams spent a great deal of time on the beach playing football and relaxing, spending time getting to know each other better in our amazing beach house (that even had an elevator!), having team meals together, and both teams playing games like Cranium, Scene-It, and pool in the evenings. One morning the women’s team fixed blueberry pancakes and bacon at our house and invited both teams to eat breakfast together. One evening we played putt-putt golf and on the last day the teams went shopping together at the outlets. We always have such a great time at Hilton Head and it seems to be the week where the men’s and women’s teams really get to know each other. Staying in a house with your teammates for a week is such a great way to build team relationships and this is one reason this trip is always so much fun. During our down time we often sat in the kitchen and dining room just talking and learning about each other. Once again, we had great parent support too! The parents of many of the players were able to come down this year and they cooked many meals for us, brought us snacks to have in the house, and brought Gatorades for us during match time (We even got a edible arrangement sent all the way from Ally’s parents in Connecticut!). Thank you so much to the Radke’s, Smith’s, Stone’s, and McConnaughy’s!

This week we have a full week of ODAC matches. Tuesday, we played Randolph Macon and won the match 8-1! The men’s team won their match 9-0! Afterward we went to former BC player Jessica Hill’s house where her parents fed both teams dinner. Wednesday the women’s team plays Washington & Lee at home at 4:00. Saturday, both teams hit the courts at home against Guilford with match time starting at 2:00. Saturday will be a test of how much we have improved this year and is a very important match for the women! We hope to see everyone there!

See you on the Courts….GO EAGLES!!

Eagles Battle During First ODAC Match

“Champions keep playing until they get it right.”
Billie Jean King

After the countless hours watching snow fall, playing tennis indoors, and conditioning and footwork drills, the BC Eagles tennis teams were finally able to get their seasons underway this weekend at our first conference match. Both the men’s and the women’s teams faced Virginia Wesleyan on Sunday at home. The men’s team picked up an easy victory against the Marlins winning 9-0.

The women’s match was much more competitive as it was a match between the #2 (Bridgewater) and #3 (Wesleyan) seeded teams in the ODAC according to the preseason poll. Unfortunately, we came out on the losing end of a very close 5-4 match which included three matches with tiebreakers. We were able to win two of the three doubles matches which got us off to a very strong start. We knew from the beginning that winning the doubles would be a necessary element to clinching the match. Unfortunately, we just weren’t able to pull it off in singles. Both Alissa Michael and Amanda Gorby picked up wins in their singles matches and Ally McConaughy and I both lost our singles matches in third set tiebreakers. The match, very easily, could have ended in our favor.

The outcome of the match wasn’t what we had hoped for, but there is much to be learned from this loss. We need to keep working hard and improving so that we can be successful in our other ODAC matches and in April when we face Virginia Wesleyan again at the tournament. As a team, we also struggled with being outdoors and facing the elements. I don’t like to make excuses but I felt like the weather really affected our performance negatively on Sunday. It was in the mid 30s all afternoon with strong winds. Besides the cold, it was hard to get in a rhythm and hit with confidence with the wind whipping through the courts. We got to practice outdoors for a little while on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough to get us acclimated to playing outdoors after being inside for so many weeks. This week we plan on going outside as much as possible to eliminate that as a major factor in our performance.

Like always, we had a great turnout of parents and family, family pets, friends, and classmates cheering us on from the sidelines. We continue to have a great fan turnout year after year and it is very encouraging as a player to feel that type of support especially for tennis which is not really popular as a spectator sport (especially at freezing temperatures)!

Our next match has been moved from Wednesday, March 3 to Thursday, March 4 and is a non conference match to be played at Shenandoah University. Hopefully the weather cooperates so we can get a W in the column on Thursday! This weekend, the teams leave for Hilton Head, South Carolina, where we will spend our entire spring break at the beach playing tennis and of course some two hand touch on the sand. It is the one of my favorite weeks of the year and I am especially looking forward to it this year. I can’t wait to go somewhere warmer than Virginia and spend my senior year spring break with my awesome teammates! See you on the courts…..GO EAGLES!!