JOHNS HOPKINS MATCH

When I put together our 2012 schedule, I was very concerned about the Johns Hopkins match for a couple of reasons. First, they had a strong recruiting class and we were just getting back from an exhausting spring break trip. Our match was set for Thursday, so we had a few days to get our legs back and also get used to the yellow pollen caked courts.

I think the team also realized how tough the match was going to be. Hopkins was our first big match in our new stadium. As we were warming up, I was amazed at how great our new venue was with our stands and scoreboard. It completely changed the atmosphere. The crowd was late coming, but the stands were eventually filling up, and those that were there, were extremely loud. An awesome homecourt advantage.

The night before the match I decided to switch the doubles lineup. I wanted to eventually put Goodwin/Humphrey's back together at the number 1 spot. They were amazing last year, but I didn't know if the Hopkins match was the right time, especially because we were going to have a new team at 3 dubs with Kowal/Pottish playing for the first time. In hindsight, it was incredibly stupid on my part.

Doubles was going to be key for this match because Hopkins was definitely stronger in singles, so getting off to a great start was very very important. Doubles started out really shaky. The only team that came out firing was our 2 team. They got up an early break and were rolling. We got down early breaks at 1 and 3. At 1, the Hopkins team was playing well and Goodwin and Humphrey's were struggling to hold serve. Finally, they started finding their rhythm by breaking back, but, in the end, they only held once and ended up losing the pro- set.

We were now tied 1-1 and the Pottish and Kowalski found themselves down 7-4. At this point, my decision to change teams was beginning to backfire on us, and I was definitely not happy. Pottish and Kowal, fought back and didn't allow themselves to get mentally taken out of the match. They stormed back and won 9-7, giving us a 2-1 lead, and a great deal of mo. It was an amazing mental effort on their part and I instantly felt a little relieved. Still, when I look back it, that mistake on my part could have been ugly.

I also made a switch at 4 and 5 singles. I bumped up Halpern to 4 and moved Wagner down to 5. As singles began, we seemed to be in control. Pottish, who had been struggling to find his game, played one his best matches of the season against a tenacious competitor. Pott's played aggressively looking to  hit his forehand. At 3, Kowalski was playing a freshman, who had a record of 9-0 against him in the juniors. Kowalski, put aside the past failures, and took out Hopkins player 6-0 in the first. It was by far his best tennis of the season. Goody at 2, was playing a freshman who had some strong results against good competition, and I knew that Goody was still not at the top of his game. He managed to compete hard and took the first set. Halpern at 4, got off to a slow start, but battled back and won the 1st set. Wagner, at 5, was playing there best spot. The player was very good and Wags had a tough time stay mentally focused. He ended up losing the first set. At 6, Ruderman was locked in battle with another very good freshman and found himself down an early break. Rud is a very good competitor and didn't allow the early break to get to him. He ended up wining the first set.

Potts finished off the number 1, and I was thrilled at his level. Kowalski, got down an early break, but stayed with it, and finally, beat his junior rival for the first time. Kowalski, was definitely one our MVP's of the day. It was a hot day which at this stage of the season was not ideal for Goody. He ended up losing the 2nd set to a scrappy player. Wagner fought back in the second set, but could never  find his rhythm serving and eventually lost. At this point, we had won the match, but we still had 3 matches going on. Halpern was on serve in the 2nd set, and Ruderman finally won at 6, winning one his most important matches of season.

Once the match was decided, Goody had to play a breaker for the 3rd which was to our advantage. He played a great 10 point breaker, beating Hopkins decisively. Halpern, last match on, is very tough to beat, and in the end, he was too much, giving us a final score of 7-2.

It was a great match for us, and once again, the team rose to occasion. It was by far one our best effort in singles. It was nice to see the crowd support us throughout, and especially, our 2nd team was huge. Their support was definitely a big factor in aiding us to our win.