Iyer, Neuqua Valley play their way
In a game that often seems dominated by power, Neuqua Valley's No. 2 singles player Amit Iyer doesn't exactly fit in. He prefers to slow the game down instead of speed it up, but just because he's a little different stylistically doesn't mean he can't be effective.
In the first boys tennis match of the season for Neuqua Valley, Iyer scored a quick 6-0, 6-1 victory to set the tone for the Wildcats as they defeated Benet on the road 6-2.
Iyer controlled the tempo of his match from the start, utilizing drop shots and lobs to force his opponent to cover ground. It's a shot that comes naturally to the senior.
"That's actually my style. A lot of players come out and they hit with a lot of power and that works for them, but for me, I'm more of a finesse kind of guy," Iyer said. "I try to use drop shots and lobs and really make my opponent guess. That what works for me."
Neuqua completed the sweep in singles, as Brett Meyer defeated Pete Mannebach 6-2, 6-3. In doubles Benet got off to a quick start taking the first set of both the No. 1 and No. 2 matchups.
The Benet No. 2 doubles pairing of Stephen Kouach and Danny King got Benet on the board by completing a 6-1, 6-2 victory, but the Neuqua doubles team of Hayden Sass and Jackson Keating battled back to force a tiebreak in the No. 1 doubles match.
There Benet's Riley Marshall and Patrick McGuigan jumped out to a 3-0 lead before Keating and Sass rattled off 9 straight points on their way to a 10-6 win to take the match.
"We did everything right except we didn't close the match," Benet coach Michael Hand said about the No. 1 doubles loss. "We were ahead in the tiebreaker but we didn't do the little things, and in matches like that, that's what the difference is."
For Neuqua Valley, a win over a program of Benet's quality in the opener could be a sign of things to come for a team with state aspirations.
"The first match is about seeing what the guys can do and seeing how they react in a match-play situation, and today they reacted well," Neuqua assistant Carol Bulfer said.
Benet got to within 3-2 with a 2-6, 6-4, 11-9 tiebreak win from the No. 3 doubles pairing of Danny King and Nick Oddo, but Neuqua would close out with wins in the last three doubles matchups to shut the door.