Jimmy Myers made his varsity debut at #3 singles, waging a three-set war. (John Fisken photos)
Aaron Curtin, on the hunt.
It’s official.
The rain held off long enough Thursday for the Coupeville High School boys’ tennis squad to become the first Wolf team to play a contest against one of their new 1A Olympic League opponents.
The move from the 1A/2A Cascade Conference became more of a reality as CHS hosted Klahowya, falling 5-2 on a day that saw the Wolves put together some splendid action in singles while struggling a bit in doubles.
“It was exciting to play a new school,” Wolf coach Ken Stange said. “My doubles players had a chance to see what real doubles looks like.
“Klahowya’s teams played aggressive and fast. Our boys need to learn that kind of style,” he added. “We’ll work on that. I’ll have my singles players help in the task.”
Coupeville had superior depth — 23 players to just 15 — but Klahowya, which dropped down from 2A this season, had a varsity squad comprised almost entirely of seasoned seniors.
The Wolves opened with big wins from their top two players, Aaron Curtin and Sebastian Davis, and almost got an upset at #3 singles from sophomore Jimmy Myers.
Making his varsity debut, Myers came back from a set down to knot things up and force a third set.
“To say Jimmy was excited would be an understatement,” Stange said. “His was a classic match-up between players who, while lacking in serious match experience, are more than willing to give it 100%.
“Although mathematically impossible, I believe Jimmy actually gave 120% today,” he added. “I couldn’t be more thrilled with his effort and performance. I’m excited for Jimmy’s tennis future!”
Curtin, who lost a hard-fought match at ATM to open the season, destroyed his foe this time around. Key was his fairly-unhittable serve.
“His first serve is very powerful. It’s difficult to return and when placed well, it’s almost impossible to react quickly enough to even get a racket on it,” Stange said. “His second serve has solid speed and extreme spin, so his opponent rarely has the chance to hit an aggressive return.
“When he has both clicking, it’s fairly demoralizing because it’s impossible to break his serve,” he added. “I love playing him during practice because he improves my return game. I think he may have the hardest serve on the island.”
While he may not have as dominating a shot as Curtin’s serve, Davis makes up for it with a mix of hustle and top-notch shot-placing.
“Sebastian spent much of the summer working on his game. It’s paying off,” Stange said. “He was very consistent. I’m excited to see how the rest of his season unfolds.
“He’s stepped up his game. It takes a great deal of faith for a player to trust in his swing motion. One minor hitch can cause the ball to sail away,” he added. “Sebastian’s learning that he can defy the laws of physics with his racket.”
Varsity:
1st Singles — Aaron Curtin beat Connor Roberts 6-0, 6-3
2nd Singles — Sebastian Davis beat Ryan Davis 6-2, 6-0
3rd Singles — Jimmy Myers lost to Kyle Schoening 6-2, 3-6, 10-5
1st Doubles — Connor McCormick/Loren Nelson lost to Jake Zieser/Ryan Gotchall 6-2, 6-0
2nd Doubles — John McClarin/Joseph Wedekind lost to Eric Tyler/Jacob Gotchall 6-1, 6-4
3rd Doubles — Jared Helmstadter/Grey Rische lost to Caden Haga/Spencer Short 6-0, 6-1
4th Doubles — William Nelson/Joey Lippo lost to Cameron Dammeyer/Joseph Woloschek 6-2, 6-0
JV:
Ethan Marx/Nick Dion lost to Max Davis/Parker Short 6-4
Geoff McClarin/Garrett Compton lost to Calvin Borders/Kole Knuckey 6-0
Nick Etzell/Ethan Spark lost to R. Gotchall/R. Davis 6-1
Brian Shank/Aiden Crimmins lost to Tyler/Max Davis 6-0
Alex Schmakeit/Jeremiah Pace beat Borders/Knuckey 7-5
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