Slugs take down #4 Cal Lutheran, on to CMS…

Slug Tennis Family,

Last Sunday the boys of Slug Tennis faced the number four team in the country Cal Lutheran of southern California. It was a match we had all be gearing up for, our first match since our spring break trip, and last regular-season home match of the season. It did not disappoint, coming down to the very last shot.

We started in doubles going down early at #1 while having very tight and close matches at #2 and #3. Andre and Sam went up an early break at #3, while Max and Bryce got down an early break at #2. Erich and Chris went down breaks early to a very tough Cal Lu team, and although they held their last four service games, ended up losing by a score of 8-4. Bryce and Max fought back to get the break back, even went up a break at one point, but were on serve at 6-6 before dropping the last two games. Down 2-0 it all came down to Sam and Dre who went from 5-5, to 6-6, to 7-7. It was a match we needed if we were going to have any chance of winning that late afternoon, Sam and Dre stepped up huge when they needed to, keeping us alive going into singles down 2-1.

With a tough 6-1, 6-0 loss from Eli at #5, the Slugs were down 3-1. Erich Koenig, facing on of the top players in the country, fought to play a very strong 2^nd set, but came up short with a 6-0, 6-4 loss putting the Slugs down 4-1. With four matches left on the court and four matches needed for the win, the Slugs, as they tend to do, started to chip away at the huge mountain ahead of them. First off was Andre “Sniper” Halabi with an impeccable performance giving the Slugs hope taking them to 4-2. Dre won decisively 6-1, 6-0, as he demonstrated once again how incredibly tough he is at his spot. Next off was Bryce Bettwy with a 6-4, 6-0 win, bringing the Slugs within range at 4-3. Once Bryce grabbed the momentum, he never looked back. With two matches left and Sam and Max still playing, the crowd circled as the cheering grew louder and louder from both sides. Sam won the first set 6-1, and although was down a break 3-2 in the second, came back to win four straight games to clinch his match! The overall score was now 4-4! It was yet another demonstration by Sam on his ability to turn it on when needed. As Sam finished his match, the whole facility moved to surround Max Littlejohn’s match on court #6.  He had won the first set 6-3, but was down 4-1 in the 2^nd  as his opponent had elevated his game. Point by point, Max started to gain momentum. 1-4, 2-4, 3-4, 4-4, Max went on to play the best tennis I have ever seen as he won five straight games to clinch the match for the Slugs! The fans roared as the players charged, it was yet another huge and amazing effort by the Slugs.

The Slugs leave today to head for LA for their last regular season match of the year. We will be facing the #1 team in the country and our long-time rival Claremont-Mckenna. It will be played this upcoming Sunday at 11am at CMS. In terms of hosting the NCAA regionals, it all comes down to who wins this match. Up to this point I can proudly say that I have a group of truly amazing young men that I am so excited to go into battle with this upcoming weekend. They have put in more time and energy as a whole, than any other team I have been apart of. They continue to push each other on a daily basis, demanding so much from themselves and from each other. The environment is healthy, challenging, and positive, it is an environment that has made our progress this season possible.

I would briefly like to congratulate these boys on two awards they recently received this past few weeks. Our team was just awarded for having the highest team GPA out of any other male sports team here at UCSC this year (3.3 average). On top of that the boys just received a National Sportsmanship award given by the ITA. This award is not just for division 3, but includes all tennis teams from all divisions throughout the entire country (http://www.itatennis.com/AboutITA/News/UC_Santa_Cruz_Men__Kansas_State_Women_Receive_April_ITA_National_Team_Sportsmanship_Award.htm).  These are amazing accomplishments that attest to the character these boys embody.

Thanks once again for all the support out there. It is so awesome to have fans and family so connected with this team, makes the whole thing an absolute blast! The showdown in LA is a few days away, these boys are ready, as always I’ll keep you posted…

Sincerely,

Coach Parmelly