As we were warming up for the match, I was really proud of our captains, especially Will Humphreys, for getting the guys going. 30 minutes into the warmup, Goodwin, decided he was ready to enter the singles lineup. He was progressing extremely well in Hawaii and our plan was to insert him the lineup, but I wanted to make sure that he was ready. The next question was where to put him in the lineup, considering his last set of singles was in October. We decided to put him in at 6, which was definitely going to raise some red flags. I notified the Cal Lu coach before the match and he was amazingly cool about Goodwin's placement considering his injuries etc... Unfortunately, that meant I had to pull Simon Lavoie Perusse from the lineup. Simon made my job really easy and handled the situation with grace. I have a lot of respect for him considering I made the decision during warmup.
We came out on fire in doubles. It was by far our best effort and we were able to get out to a 3-0 lead. This took a lot of pressure off us going into singles, and more importantly, it spoke volumes of this teams mental fortitude. They could have whined and moaned about the time change and lack of sleep, but instead, they chose to battle and were rewarded for there attitude in doubles. `
Singles started out strong, but Cal Lu wouldn't lay down, even being down 3-0. Goodwin was the first off the court and helped to stake us to a 4-0 lead. Goodwin never ceases to amaze me. The fact that he hadn't played a set for over 6 months and was able to dismantle his opponent speaks volumes about his focus and talent. Goodwin is by far one of the most silently competitive players I have ever coached.
At this point, we were up 4-0, and Cal Lu started to come back. Pott split against a very good player at 1 and was definitely not sharp. Kowalski also split at 2, and Wagner, at 3 won the first set, but lost the second set and was struggling. At 4, Halpern dropped the first set against a very cagey player. At 5, Ruderman, was playing the best spot in their lineup, won the first set, but the match was very close, especially in the second set.
Pott was down a break, 4-3 in the 3rd, but somehow managed to break back and eventually win the 3rd for the 5th point. Pott like Good, is hyper competitive. That's why they are the 2 best players in the country. Every match that Pott plays, he has a target on his back. The pressure he has to deal with is amazing, but what's impressive is that he doesn't back down, even when he doesn't have his A game. Pott finds ways to compete even when he's playing poorly. The biggest lesson I learn from watching Pott and Good over the years, is they never take themselves out of a match emotionally. They get frustrated, but they have an uncanny ability to let negative circumstances go. This is a gift, and not easy to do.
Wagner got down 4-1 in the 3rd against a very good player, but stormed back and reeled of 5 games for the win. At 4, Halpern won the 2nd, and took his game to another level in the 3rd. Halpern is a very slow starter, but he never panics and stays with it. Ruderman won in straight sets. This was by far his best win. Kowalski lost in a tiebreaker for 3rd. It was a disappointing loss for him, but his level was much better than indoors.
This match had the markings of a potential disaster. The upperclassman established their leadership in this match, including, Elliot Kahler. There positive energy was the key!
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