Tennis Team Succumbs to Grueling Schedule
Germantown, OH (September 9, 2004) A rollercoaster with a five day drop is what Lady Spartans' tennis team feels like they've been riding during their last five matches.
Their record dropped from 4-1 to 4-6 through their past five matches But there is only so much time they can squeeze in for practices they have back-to-back games and some of those practices are rained out.
"I think the biggest problem is the last two weeks we have had eight matches and in two and a half weeks we have only had two practices. We actually had to practice over Labor Day weekend because our Friday practice had to be cancelled due to the rain. And then today (Wednesday) our practice was cancelled again," Coach Krista Heys said.
"I think maybe if our schedule wasn't jammed packed we would be doing a little better. We keep making the same mistakes in our matches, but we don't have any time to work on them. We were really counting on having practice today, but the courts were just soaked," Heys added.
With games Monday through Thursday, the team doesn't have much of a chance to do anything. They go to school and then head to matches by 3:00 p.m.
Heys knew going into last week that they were approaching one of the toughest part of their schedule, but what she didn't know was just how much the girls would be affected by not having ample practice time.
They fell to Middletown last Monday 5-0 before traveling to Eaton and dropping a 4-1 decision. Chelsea Gibbs was the lone winner at the match, in which she won handily, 6-0, 6-1.
Then the team continued to board the bus for their next two games against West Carrollton and Carlisle. West Carrollton claimed their own 5-0 win, but Carlisle had a little more trouble seizing a victory as Chelsea Gibbs snatched up her second win in three day, 6-0, 6-4 and Morgan Peters and Megan Williams, in second doubles, took a 6-4, 6-1 victory.
"It was a really close match. I wasn't able to make it because of school (Heys is attending the University of Dayton for her masters degree) but there were two matches that went into a tiebreaker. Assistant Coach Rand Ney said it was a nail biter every game," Heys said.
Megan DeVilbiss, Leanne Wetzel, and Jenni Gibbs each participated in a fury of hits that would determine who would pull out of the tiebreaker. DeVilbiss couldn't pull out with a win in her close match of 3-6, 6-4, [6-8], 6-7 while the second doubles team of Wetzel and Gibbs also fell 1-6, [7-6], 5-7.
Tuesday night the Spartans took another hard loss, 4-1 against rival Bellbrook. Allison Mikesell was the lone winner for the Spartans as she beat her Bellbrook opponent, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4.
"She really turned around during that match. She did very well for us," Heys mentioned.
Although the girls have had a rough time over the past week and a half, Heys is really proud of them for keeping their spirits up.
"Hopefully it doesn't rain on Friday, so we can get some practice time in but the girls have been doing really well and keeping their heads up. They're just not ready to give up," Heys said.
Tonight (Thursday) the girls return to action, for the fourth consecutive day in a row, as they host a game with Brookville.
