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Hopkins Junior Varsity Tennis Has Jubilant Victory
It was a beautiful Wednesday afternoon on May 1 when the junior
varsity boys tennis team from Suffield Academy traversed the state of
Connecticut from north to south, down Interstate 91 to take on our
Hopkins junior varsity team. Last year, the final score was a razor
thin 4--3 victory for Hopkins. So coach Ewen advised his team to play
hard and consistently in the opening doubles match, to try to get that
crucial initial doubles point.
As the match began, the score in all 3 doubles matches were quite
close, with neither team opening up more than a one game advantage.
In fact, the first match done was the exhibition #4 doubles contest,
with Hopkins' ninth graders coming through, 8--2. In the first
official match to finish, seventh grader Phillip Schmitt teamed with
co-captain and 10th grader Sanjay Dureseti, using Sanjay's steady and
determined play from the baseline along with Phillip's strong and
accurate net play to win their
doubles match 8--4. At #1 doubles, ninth graders Spencer Lovejoy and
Zach Blitzer found themselves playing older and harder hitting
Suffield opponents. Down 2--4, Spencer and Zach dug in deep,
retrieving when necessary, and angling volleys for winners when they had the opportunity. Eventually they evened the match at 6--6 and
then came through in the next two games, winning the match and the
vital doubles point for Hopkins. At #2 doubles, co-captain Nate Dowd
and teammate Avi Mahajan found themselves against an aggressive
Suffield team that liked to close on the net. Play was fast and
furious with the score going to 7--7 before the Suffield team won the
final two games to win that contest. But Hopkins had already secured
the doubles point for our team.
That crucial doubles showdown proved to turn the tide for Hopkins.
Co-captain Tyler Moore took the court at #6 singles, determined to do
his part to keep the positive momentum going for Hopkins, and wound up
with a decisive 6--1, 6--0 triumph. Next on the Hopkins bandwagon
proved to be ninth grader Will Collier at #5 singles, who used hustle
and consistent overall good game sense to dominate his Suffield
opponent by a 6--1, 6--1 margin. These two victories gave Hopkins a
virtually insurmountable 3--0 lead with 4 matches left to play.
Our #3 singles player, eighth grader Will McLean used a strong
topspin forehand, good serving, and deftly placed drop shots to
conquer his outmatched Suffield rival 6--2, 6--0, thus clinching the
team victory for Hopkins. Then, not to be outdone, #1 singles star
Spencer Lovejoy tamed his hard hitting Suffield opponent with a
dazzling display of accuracy and hustle, coming through 6--1, 6--2.
At this point, with the team outcome having been determined, it
was decided to shorten the final two matches to a single set. In the
closest match of the day, ninth grader Zach Blitzer at #2 singles
fought point by point against an older, taller, and harder hitting
opponent. Eventually that set came out even at 6--6, and a tiebreaker
was used to determine the final outcome. It is a tribute to Zach that
he fought off 4 set points against him to gain a very hard earned 9--7
tiebreaker victory, winning the set 7--6. Co-captain Nate Dowd at #4
used the side of the court to full advantage, keeping his opponent off
balance and winning his set 6--2. The final 7--0 team score in no way
indicates the intensity of play by players on both teams.
On Saturday, May 4, Hopkins will play host to the Loomis--Chaffee
boys junior varsity team -- a team that soundly defeated Hopkins 6--1
a year ago. But this year the Hopkins team hopes and expects to be
ready to do battle with the Loomis--Chaffee team. Starting time for
the match will be 3:00 PM.
With best regards,
William L. Ewen
Teacher of mathematics, 1968--2008
Varsity boys tennis coach, 1968--2012
Junior varsity boys tennis coach, 2013
Varsity boys squash coach, 2008--2012
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Best Day School
in CT, 2024
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Hopkins is a private middle school and high school for grades 7-12. Located on a campus overlooking New Haven, CT, the School takes pride in its intellectually curious students as well as its dedicated faculty and staff.
