Triton Tennis: Trojans Fall On Five To Bethany
BOURBON — After Bethany Christian lost so much to graduation last year, Triton tennis coach Al Peckham wasn’t sure what to expect from the Bruins in the Trojans’ home meet with them Saturday.
The team that showed up in Bourbon was pretty much the same old Bruins as Triton’s mostly young lineup lost in straight sets on all courts in a 5-0 loss to Bethany.
“One thing about Bethany, every year they’ve always had a strong program. Even though they graduated a solid team last year, the JV had to play against the varsity at times, so that even makes them better,” said Peckham. “We ran into a solid team. They had great ground strokes. One thing I noticed about Bethany is they didn’t make too many unforced errors. They made us earn it a little bit. We actually, I don’t think, really played that bad. It’s just that I think at times we could be more consistent with our game.”
The closest matches both came in doubles play Saturday, but a few points here and there in the first sets led to some more lopsided scores in the second sets.
Keygan Mosier and Chase Butler narrowly dropped a 12-game first set to Nathan Oostland and Jacob Woolace at one doubles, and the Bruins tandem rode that momentum into the second set on the way to a 7-5, 6-2 win.
“One thing about even at the high school level, momentum sometimes is a big thing. You lose a close one in the first set, and it all depends on how the second set starts on how the second one will end sometimes,” Peckham explained. “A lot of times if you don’t start well in the second it’s a struggle to get into it. Keygan, he’s too hard on himself. 3He’s a great player. He plays well, but he’s just too hard on himself.”
It was a similar story for Triton’s Tyler Heckaman and Jared Bules at two doubles as they fell 6-4 in their first set opposite Jonah Farran and Phillip Grabill only to suffer a 6-2 loss in the second set.
“One thing about them is they’re both sophomores yet, and I know this is their second year playing but you can still see that they’re sophomores and they’ve still got a lot more to grow yet. I do see a lot of improvement,” said Peckham of his two doubles lineup. “They’ve played some really decent teams. This doubles team that they played wasn’t bad; it was pretty solid.”
“Our guys, it’s just a little bit of adjustment here and there,” he continued. “Once in awhile they’ll play a little bit too close to the net, and I need to remind them to take a step back. One thing they do well I think is at times they’ll both play back, and then they both rush the net to try and put pressure on their players. They do a good job at that.”
Triton freshman John Gardner — playing his first year of tennis ever — was able to take three games from Bethany two singles player Liam Bradford at two singles but ultimately fell in straight sets, 1 and 3. What Peckham sees from the fledgeling Gardner has him excited for the future, though.
“He’s just a hustler. There was even a shot there that he ran down and got back, and the other coach said ‘Gee, I don’t think anybody else could’ve got to that ball.’ He’s just so quick and fast,” said the Triton boss of Gardner. “He’s another one of those guys that if you’re going to get it by him, you’ve got to get it by him because if you hit a normal shot he’s going to track it down and get it back on you. He’s been a great player. Every Friday I try to work with him a little bit to improve a little bit of his game.
“It’s a process, and he’s just going to be great when he really starts to learn how to play tennis.”
Carter Kuntz lost in two 6-2 sets to Jonathon Yousey at one singles, while Trevor Miller fell 6-0, 6-0 to Joel Yoder in the three singles match.
Meanwhile Saturday, Triton’s JV also suffered a 5-0 loss to their Bruins counterparts.
The Trojans slip to 6-5 and will resume play at home Tuesday with a meet versus Tippecanoe Valley. It’s a solid opportunity for Peckham to inch another win closer to the 100-win boys coaching mark as he only needs two victories to hit that total.
“It’s a team that I’ve seen in the papers that played Judson well, and I know we beat Judson earlier this year. We won’t be looking past them, that’s for sure, but still it’s a match that I think where we could play well and win, and hopefully we can work on our game at the same time,” Peckham said.