Despite Loss to Greeley, Tennis Team is on the Same Page

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On Wednesday April 9, John Jay traveled to Horace Greeley and lost by a score of 7-0. A shutout that wasn’t necessarily a surprise to Evan Outwater. “We’re playing a lot harder competition this year,” he said. But the shots were still crisp and the rallies long, and despite the final tally, there was more to it for the Wolves.

The first giving voice was Jonathan Marchini. “I’m having a good time and playing a good kid on a beautiful day,” said the sophomore.

So he took losing 6-4, 6-3 in stride, while Marchini had no hesitation to give the crowd an exciting slugfest. “I’m trying to put on a show,” Marchini asserted.

Afterwards too, the Wolf kept up the good cheer and was certain he was the number one son. “I’m the best Marchini out there,” the younger brother joked.

By the numbers, he was right with two more wins than his brother. As such, Andrew Marchini battled in a 6-2, 6-3 loss and playfully explained what might have led to a different outcome. “Don’t do what I did and do what he did,” the elder held his own.

In tennis speak, the junior clarified that consistency explained the differential. He was just as pragmatic about the rest of the season too. “I”m hoping to play well and stay strong,” Marchini said.

Karl Shue was more specific about the near future, though. “I want to win my next match,” said the freshman.

This one, on the other hand, was a beast. Also pounding from the baseline, Shue still lost 6—1, 6-0 and identified the main problem. “I was struggling with the short ball,” he revealed.

Shue also lost the chess match. “I needed to keep to his backhand more,” said Shue.

Chaz Thea wasn’t exactly keeping track, though. “Maybe I need to be more serious,” he posed.

But the senior quickly came to his senses. “No, that’s crazy,” Thea quipped.

Even so, Thea was able to access the 6-3, 6-3 loss. “They cheated,” he explained.

Being a jokester again, the tennis player objectively summed up the shortcomings. “We didn’t play the net well, because when we play the net well, we win,” Thea assured.

Even so, Devon Kislin likes his chances regardless of his teammate’s approach. “He’s a beast from the baseline,” said the senior.

Kislin was also on the same page in terms of Thea’s sunny disposition. “You got to have fun,” the doubles’s player clarified.

Winning ain’t bad either, and the past has proven the duo can bring it up a notch. “We made the section finals two years ago, and when the post season comes around again, we’ll turn it up,” Kislin assured.

Matthew Neary wants to start winning right away and definitely saw the upside of the loss. “I hit a lot of good forehands, and I was keeping the game in a good consistent rally,” said the freshman.

On the flip side, the points went the other way when their opponents came to the net, which may have played into the duo’s weakness, according to Kishen Katherin. “We need more communication,” said the sophomore.

Even so, the Wolf is definitely having a good time with his teammate, and the same goes for the whole scene, according to Eli Hiller. “There’s lots of energy, and everybody is in good spirits,” he said.

Even with the 6-0, 6-2 loss, Hiller sees the way forward. “We know our positives and negatives so we work off those,” Hiller said.

For his part of the equation, Hudson Lutz highlighted a positive. “My serve was really good today, and I was pretty good at the net,” said Lutz.

Finally, Evan Outwater and Jackson Bieber couldn’t outlast their opponents in their 6-2, 6-2 loss. “They just kept us in a rally, and we eventually messed up,” said Bieber.

Outwater agreed. “I don’t think they were much better than us,” he said. “We just made a bunch of mistakes.”

Chemistry, on the other hand, is not a problem. “We’re good friends, and we know when to lift each other up,” said Bieber.

Going forward, it sounds like the whole team is on the same page, and the rest of the season should follow suit.