The Varsity Tennis team traveled to the campus of Liberty University to take on a strong Liberty Christian Academy squad. Despite earlier showers, a brisk breeze and periods of sunshine provided clear courts and a beautiful backdrop for the afternoon’s contest.
Continuing to rebuild the ladder, this week found Cadet Walter Kasica out (knee injuries), Cadet Jose Bendeck-Posadas unavailable (international travel), and Cadet Pavel Stupin (Moscow, Russia) and Cadet Grayson Massey (Chatham, VA) making their debuts as Hargrave Tiger Tennis players at #2 and #6 singles, respectively.
Cadet Turner Wall matched up against a new face at LCA, J. Quintana, at the #1 position. Quintana’s powerful baseline rallies and big serve kept Wall on the defensive throughout the match. At #2, Stupin was matched up against another new Bulldog, J. Boda. Their styles were well-matched, but the exchanges continued to fall in favor of the well-prepared and more consistent Boda. Stupin remained competitive throughout the match despite being a recent addition to the line-up and his hiatus from the game. At #3 Cadet Zachariah Gjenasaj spent the day swatting at veteran Bulldog Henderson’s high kickers and speedy flat serves. The lower half of the ladder, first-year varsity players Armel Ngabo, Richard Flender and Garyson Massey matched up with the rest of LCA’s veterans and learned about being tough in the face of persistent pressure and the importance of consistency. All the boys continued to battle throughout their matches even as the score cards continued to flip against Hargrave.
With additional players available on both teams, several exhibition matches were possible in the second half of the official match on the three freed-up courts. Cadets Rakan Alshinibr (Dammam, Saudi Arabia) and Patrick Saad (Winterville, NC) played their first interscholastic singles matches. Saad was particularly tenacious, battling back from a 1-7 deficit to finish 4-10. Senior Cadet Yanshen Luo (Guangzhou, China) and 8th grader Cadet Ben Richter (Bahama, NC) combined to as doubles team for their first interscholastic match experience.
After a welcome Spring Break, we will travel to Carlisle School (Martinsville, VA) on Tuesday, April 7. Our first home match will be against LCA on April 9 at the Landon Tennis Center.
Individual Match Scores:
Singles
#1 – Turner Wall v J. Quintana : 0-10
#2 – Pavel Stupin v J. Boda : 0-10
#3 – Zachariah Gjenasaj v M. Henderson : 1-10
#4 – Armel Ngabo v D. Kang : 1-10
#5 – Richard Flender v N. Goray: 1-10
#6 – Garyson Massey v C. McKee: 0-10
Doubles
#1 – Wall and Stupin v Boda and M. Henderson : 1-8
#2 – Gjenasaj and Flender v Quintana and Goray : 2-8
#3 – Ngabo and Massey v Kang and J. Henderson : 0-8
