Andrew Aparicio was one of many winners Monday, as Coupeville tennis ruled the day against arch-rival South Whidbey. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
Nathan Ginnings teamed with Jacob Burke for a major come-from-behind win at #1 doubles, as the Wolf varsity swept the season series from the Falcons.
Every match, every set, every point counted.
There were big chunks of time Monday afternoon when it seemed either Coupeville or South Whidbey could easily pull away for the win in their boys tennis clash, but in the end only one squad went home truly happy.
Powered by a pair of doubles wins, both of which involved CHS netters rallying from a set down, the Wolves slipped past the visiting Falcons 3-2 to sweep the season series from their Island rivals.
The win lifts Coupeville to 3-3 in Emerald City League play.
It also gives them local bragging rights.
After failing to net a win against their neighbors during Ken Stange’s first 13 years at the helm of the Coupeville boys program, the Wolves polished off South Whidbey both at home and away this season.
Monday’s match was locked at 1-1 for quite some time, with the singles bouts being quickly split.
Coupeville’s Drake Borden, facing a different Falcon rival this time around, matched his performance in the season opener, rolling to a win at #2 singles, while South Whidbey’s Levi Buck turned the tables on Jakobi Baumann in the first slot.
Then a war of attrition set in.
With all three varsity doubles matches on the courts at the same time, and all three stretching out to epic lengths, Stange (and both team’s fans) were left to bounce back and forth.
All three of the matches featured serious ebb and flow, with first one duo putting together a sweet run, only to have their foes come storming right back.
The match of the day came at #1 doubles, where Jacob Burke and Nathan Ginnings, a first-year pairing, rallied to knock off a Falcon team they couldn’t topple the first time around.
Down a set, the Wolves scorched the court in the middle frame, mixing in booming overheads with the occasional soft drop shot, forcing a winner-take-all final set.
It took a while, though, as Burke and Ginnings fell behind in the third set, but never gave in.
Instead of slumped shoulders, they slapped rackets, encouraged each other, and muscled their way back into the match, knotting things up at 6-6, before dropping the hammer in a deciding tiebreaker.
Though they had no clue their team had just gone up 2-1, Wolves James Wood and Mason Grove were off on a different court, putting together their own story of pulling a rabbit from a hat.
Bouncing around, joking and needling each other, they didn’t look like a duo which was down a set, maybe because they knew they were about to flip a switch.
The second and third set were all Coupeville, all the time, with Grove lashing approach shot winners and Wood smashing put-aways at the net.
The hardest-hit shot came during a break in play when Grove half turned as he went to slap an extra ball back to South Whidbey’s server and promptly drilled his partner, who took the gut shot with first a surprised look, and then a loud laugh.
Heck, when you’re winning, you can pick up an inadvertent bruise or two (and even bust your racket strings in a post-match hit-around like Wood later did), and it’s all good.
Complete Monday results:
Varsity:
1st Singles — Jakobi Baumann lost to Levi Buck 6-3, 6-2
2nd Singles — Drake Borden beat Ian Maddux 6-1, 6-1
1st Doubles — Zach Ginnings/Jacob Burke beat Brent de Wolf/Joey Lane 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(7-4)
2nd Doubles — Mason Grove/James Wood beat Ranger Buck/Brent Batchelor 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
3rd Doubles — Tiger Johnson/Jaschon Baumann lost to Cormac Workman/Soren Bratrude 7-6(8-6), 5-7, 10-7
JV:
3rd Singles — Koby Schreiber lost 7-6(7-4)
4th Doubles — Andrew Aparicio/Schreiber won 6-3
5th Doubles — Harris Sinclair/Thane Peterson lost 6-1
6th Doubles — Aparicio/Peterson lost 7-5
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