Neuqua Valley tennis goes with the wind
Strong swirling winds might bother most tennis players, but playing in Tuesday's blustery conditions was just another day at the office for the Neuqua Valley boys tennis team.
The Wildcats took on visiting Upstate Eight Conference foes Lake Park and remained undefeated (4-0, 3-0) with a 6-1 victory.
"The weather's always like this here in 'Tornado Alley,' " said Neuqua Valley coach Trudy Bennorth. "I get tired of the wind, but our guys have to get used to it."
Some of the Wildcats, notably first-doubles Steve Rusch and Skeeter Plowman, who are undefeated at 4-0, even managed to turn the gale-like gusts to their advantage. They registered a 6-0, 6-2 victory.
Rusch scored 8 aces, utilizing his powerful serve to baffle opponents, while Plowman neutralized the Lancers with his quick volleys.
"We're a good combination because he's all power and I like playing at the net," Plowman said.
"They have the power on one hand (Rusch) and the speed and agility on the other (Plowman)," Bennorth said. "They work well together and their personalities go well together."
Even though Plowman is used to playing in less-than-perfect condition, he admits that it has its downside.
"It affects your footwork," he said. "Because the ball skips around a lot and you have to make adjustments. You play on your toes more because with spin it kicks out of one side."
Because the cold, rainy weather has wiped out so much of the tennis schedule in recent weeks, Bennorth thought the sunshine meant the tennis would finally go off unaffected by the elements, but it wasn't to be.
"We're not very along in developing as a team," said Bennorth, whose Wildcats are shooting for their seventh straight UEC title. "We still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do. Everyone needs the work, but especially our freshman who are new to varsity tennis, and they just been able to play that much."
The Wildcats are scheduled to host defending state-champion Hinsdale Central today, and according to Bennorth, the weather forecast is for even stronger winds.
The inexperienced Lancers (4-3, 2-1) had a harder time with the constant blowing.
"In the end Neuqua Valley handled the elements better than we did," said Lake Park coach Tim Martin. "We came up short, but I'm pleased that we were competitive to the end. I'm impressed with the development of our team as a whole. They played hard under difficult conditions."
Dan Guico and Ryan Smith at fourth doubles scored the Lancers' only team point in the meet with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 win over Scott Reel and Colton Bailey.
"Dan and Ryan played smart, sound doubles," Martin said. "They played with a lot of energy and they communicated well. They're a strong doubles team."
At third singles Lake Park's Suchit Shah suffered his first loss of the year but took Neuqua Valley freshman Brian Glavin to three games before losing 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 6-2.