TENNIS
This past weekend the 2006 Saint Mary's tennis season concluded at the MIAA conference tournament in Holland, MI. Certainly an experience that words can not really describe.
Just to focus on the tournament a little bit there is two words to describe it: very intense. The players end up playing 4 matches the first day of the tournament then playing 3 matches the very next day. You start at 9 a.m. during the opening day and aren't done til 8:30 p.m. then turnaround and start again at 9 a.m. the next day and play for another seven hours. The players end up playing like 14 hours in tennis in a 36 hour time frame. Yeah, intense and probably too much.
Admist all that crazy-ness, there was one run during the tournament I will never forget. Obviously, I love athletics. Sports are just great, if for nothing else the underdog. Our best doubles team at Saint Mary's came into the nine-team tournament unseeded and had to play the second seeded team in the first round. After dropping the first set, they some how, some way found a way to win the next two sets in a tiebreakers to advance to the semifinals. That was shocking enough.
In the semifinals, they faced the third seed team and once again dropped the first set. After fighting off a match point in the second set they won that set in a tiebreaker before grinding out a third set victory and all of a sudden they found themselves in the finals. This is the type of finals run that was like George Mason beating Michigan State and North Carolina to make the Sweet 16. Very unexpected but extremely pleasant.
However, the story isn't a completely happy ending as they lost in the finals to the No. 1 seeded team. Yet, what they did was so much fun to watch and be apart of. I also gotta believe that what they did, probably won't be done ever again in this conference. Yes, that special!
Just to focus on the tournament a little bit there is two words to describe it: very intense. The players end up playing 4 matches the first day of the tournament then playing 3 matches the very next day. You start at 9 a.m. during the opening day and aren't done til 8:30 p.m. then turnaround and start again at 9 a.m. the next day and play for another seven hours. The players end up playing like 14 hours in tennis in a 36 hour time frame. Yeah, intense and probably too much.
Admist all that crazy-ness, there was one run during the tournament I will never forget. Obviously, I love athletics. Sports are just great, if for nothing else the underdog. Our best doubles team at Saint Mary's came into the nine-team tournament unseeded and had to play the second seeded team in the first round. After dropping the first set, they some how, some way found a way to win the next two sets in a tiebreakers to advance to the semifinals. That was shocking enough.
In the semifinals, they faced the third seed team and once again dropped the first set. After fighting off a match point in the second set they won that set in a tiebreaker before grinding out a third set victory and all of a sudden they found themselves in the finals. This is the type of finals run that was like George Mason beating Michigan State and North Carolina to make the Sweet 16. Very unexpected but extremely pleasant.
However, the story isn't a completely happy ending as they lost in the finals to the No. 1 seeded team. Yet, what they did was so much fun to watch and be apart of. I also gotta believe that what they did, probably won't be done ever again in this conference. Yes, that special!
posted by Stephen Hinkel at
11:49 AM
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