Varsity vs Crown Point Loss Although the sky looked dark and moody, the weather radar showed no rain. At times, the sun would peak through the clouds in a blinding fashion. There was a breeze that made it a bit chilly for the Kougars as they warmed up, with some of them reaching for jackets and sweatpants. A few of the guys began debating if they would need the extra layers for their matches. Crown Point arrived early for today’s match, and got to have a relaxing time getting prepared through stretches and rallying. While the varsity Kougars practiced, some of the JV players found an open spot away from the bleachers to pass a tennis ball to each other and chat together. Introductions came and went, and matches began. KV’s seniors, Carson Armstrong and Mason Dase, played matches on neighboring courts for #1 and #2 singles on the JV side. At one point, their scores were identical at 2-3. Dase played his match with a lot of movement and quick actions, keeping his energy high to best prepare for his opponent’s excellent placement shots. Armstrong hit a lot of great back line shots, putting a lot of pressure on his opponent to maintain good form. His opponent responded with some aggressive net play, which was a smart move. Armstrong worked hard to cover the court and had some nearly impossible saves. They were great matches to watch! While waiting for his playback match, a beautiful butterfly landed on Micah VanderMeer and traveled around gracefully. It was a nice moment. On the varsity side, Crown Point had a lot of clean, decisive plays that pushed the Kougars to adapt. Before matches began, everyone knew that tonight would be competitive, and the boys needed to strategize and go hard for every ball. Even when the point wasn’t theirs, #2 doubles duo Duke Blanco and Levi Reeb would take a second to clank rackets and encourage each other. #2 singles Joel Previs had the longest match of the evening, with a huge crowd surrounding the fence to watch. Playback matches continued on as well, with all of Crown Point’s large team getting court time against the Kougars. After Previs’ match ended, playback matches were allowed to continue, and the crowd turned their attention there. The final playback match was a doubles match with Owen Marshall and Reid Hanselman. Each point got praise from the audience. Things wrapped up for the evening a little after 7PM, and the courts emptied. There will be one more home match tomorrow, and after that, sectionals to prepare for! - JV Coach Lauren Anderson