Cedarville University Yellow Jackets

April 22, 2018

Well, this is my last blog for the season. I feel like this is where I’m supposed to get all sentimental and reminiscent, but I’m not that type of guy. I will say that it’s been an absolute blessing to be with the team this year, and I’m really looking forward to next year. Jon Class and Jeremy Hoover will be graduating, so we’ll definitely be missing them, but the new recruits Dawson, Cole, and Timmy O’Brien all seem to be shaping up well, and I’m really looking forward to getting to know them better.

This week, we played whiffle ball. I will proudly say my team won, but certainly no thanks to me. If anything, we can probably credit JC for our win, because he managed to strike out every time except the last time, where we immediately caught his ball. He wouldn’t want such unbecoming information to get out, but I’m sure he isn’t reading this, so I’m safe :)

We haven’t done much outside that, seeing as we managed to get snow recently, so outdoor practice hasn’t been ideal.

I guess we’ll see how everyone’s doing after summer. Finals are just around the corner, so pray we all maintain diligent study habits!

Until next season!

- Chris

1 Peter 1:15-16
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."


April 16, 2018

Hello again, Yellow Jackets! I’ve got quite a bit to fill you in on!

We played the last of our conference matches this week, against Davis & Elkins. We beat them before over spring break without Matt, and this week we played them without two of our players since it conflicted with JS. However, Luke Ingles came out of retirement and, since he is (somehow) still NCAA eligible and a formidable tennis opponent, came out to play third singles for us! However, this was not enough and we still lost 5-4 to them overall. To determine which of us would proceed to the G-MAC Tournament at Kentucky Wesleyan in Owensboro, the officials flipped a coin and Davis & Elkins won the toss, so they will move on. I must say I find that far more humorous than anything.

This week, we’re looking to play Indiana Wesleyan at home on Tuesday. We hope to see you there! (Editor's Note: The match vs. IWU has been cancelled)

For the verse, I’m gonna pull out one of my old favorites, Ephesians 4:32:
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."


April 9, 2018

Hello again, Jackets fans!

This wast week, we had away matches at Findlay and Walsh. Against Findlay, we were down a player - Alex Totten was sick, so we all played up. We ended up losing 8-1, despite our best efforts. Saturday we spent the day playing Walsh, and I think I speak for all of us when I say that we sure looked a lot better. We lost 7-2, but Matt and JC had some really close matches (as per usual) and Alex decided that, despite just getting over being sick, he was gonna snag a quick, clean dub at third singles. Matt and JC at first doubles netted our second win (get it? Netted? I thought that was good).

This week, we play our rescheduled Tiffin match at home on Tuesday. Friday, we’ll play Walsh again and Saturday is our rematch against Davis & Elkins, which we should beat again considering we have Matt back.

In parting, I would like to say this:

I want Alex’s serve. Boy, he has a cannon.

Ephesians 4:2
"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."


April 2, 2018

Hello all!

This past week, we played two of the toughest teams in the conference; Findlay and Hillsdale. We have some room for improvement, but I think we’re making progress.

Friday, we played the University of Findlay, and lost 7-2 as a team. Matt Brumbaugh was our power player, and won both his doubles match with JC and his singles match. What I would give for that man’s raw natural talent.

Saturday, we played Hillsdale, and switched our lineup quite a bit. We lost again (granted, they are still the beast team in our conference), BUT Alex Totten and Philip Brumbaugh won their match 8-6 at second doubles! Their match against Findlay was a bit of a practice round, but they really pulled out some stops and saved face against Hillsdale. Admittedly, not a lot of face, just a little, but we can use all the face we can save.

This week, we’re looking to have a home match Wednesday against West Liberty, but the weather isn’t looking very cooperative. Friday, we’ll have Round Two against Findlay, but this time it’ll be an away match. Saturday, we’ll be playing at Walsh. Pray we can play well, meet the competition, and glorify God on the courts.

Until next week!

II Corinthians 12:9-10
"But [Jesus] said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."


March 25, 2018

Hello, Yellow Jackets fans!

Yesterday, we ventured to Hillsdale, Michigan to play Hillsdale College. As of right now, they are currently the best in our conference. Despite having Matt back again (praise the Lord for a quick recovery on his part), we were unable to rise from our ashes we buried ourselves in in Florida, could not snag a dub and lost 9-0 as a team. They sure do have a nice looking indoor facility though. However, we will fortunately get a second chance, and we will play them again this Saturday at home.

Our schedule this week is a tentative Tuesday match against Tiffin (Editor's note: postponed to April 10), Friday we play Findlay, and then our rematch against Hillsdale on Saturday. All our matches are at home, so come catch us in action!

Until next week!

Philippians 3:8
"What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ."


March 19, 2018

Well, that was a close one.

This past Saturday, we played Davis & Elkins in West Virginia. In a sense, it was our second chance at a University of the Sciences-type match. In doubles, JC and Alex won, and Jeremy and I came back after being down 7-4 and rose from the ashes we buried ourselves in and eked out a win. The self-proclaimed Team Icon 2.0 is competitive now, watch out! 

Singles was close as well. All of their players were really solid and there was hardly any skill drop off until the last few players. JC played some impressive tennis and pulled through, as did Jeremy. My match was the last one, and after winning the first set and getting bageled in the second, I somehow managed by God’s good mercy to come back and win the third set, ending the match with an overall win for Cedarville of 5-4. Go Jackets!

We play again this Saturday at Hillsdale. They’re absolutely incredible, to understate it based off of the experience upperclassmen have told me. We might maybe definitely need some prayer for that.

Until next week!

Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”


March 5, 2018

Greetings from Florida!

First off, a prayer request; Matt Brumbaugh, the night before we left, went to the hospital due to chest pains and discovered that his lung had collapsed. He was unable to come with us, much to our dismay, but from the news we’ve gathered, he’s doing okay back home and is spending his weekend catching up on some Fortnite wins. Pray he has a speedy recovery! (We need him on the team!)

We who are left on the Cedarville Men’s Tennis Team are enjoying quite the spring break! We’re enjoying great sunny weather and great time together. We’re eating like kings and already got a start on our Spring Break Sunburns!

We had our first match today against St. John’s, where we were privileged to play at the USTA National Campus. JC was the only one to win a match, but golly, we had some close ones! He and Alex had an incredibly close doubles match, and Philip played some gorgeous tennis in his singles match. I would also like to brag on behalf of myself and Jeremy Hoover that we are now a competent doubles team. Watch out, we’re relevant now!

The rest of our week is chock full of matches, and tomorrow we play Bentley in the morning. Hopefully we can learn from our mistakes from today and really use the abilities God has given us to His glory.

Thanks for tuning in, and enjoy your spring as well! Even if it isn’t as warm as Florida :)
 

February 27, 2018

Hello again, Yellow Jackets fans!

This past week, we played the University of Charleston, from West Virginia. While we were unable to eke out any wins, we sure had some matches that were inches away! Alex Totten, Matt and Philip Brumbaugh all lost incredibly close third set tiebreakers and played incredibly well. I sure enjoyed watching them!

We all certainly improved since our match against the University of Dayton, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how our team shapes up for the rest of the season.

Our next matches are all going to be in the Orlando, Florida area! We’ll be spending our spring break playing several teams down south before resuming our season back home. I speak for everyone when I say that we’re looking forward to that!

I’m going to start including a Bible verse that really stood out to me every week from now through the end of the season, and this week I’m pulling something from James 3:17:

"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."

Pray that we all stay injury-free during our busy schedule coming up. Thanks for your support!


February 19, 2018
 

October 9, 2017
 

October 2, 2017

Hello again, Jacket fans! We come with a little more action from last week: rather than just one match, we had a whopping two! We played Taylor and Bluefield on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Alex Totten was unable to come against Taylor due to an athletic training priority, forcing nearly the entire team to play up. That being said, a slew of third set matches grabbed us the win at 5-4. However, Bluefield wasn’t as favorable. We managed to snag a win at first doubles, but that was about it. At least it was only our first loss as a team!

We play Capital University this Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. at home, and then this Saturday we have our alumni coming back for matches at 1:00 p.m. I know my dad’s been practicing for awhile now, so I’m sure I’ll be playing him! Anyways, we hope to see you out there and God bless!


September 25, 2017

It is with pride that I come bearing this news: Our first home match was another win for the books! This past Thursday, we played Indiana East, and what a close match it was! We won 5-4, and had three matches go to tie-breakers or third sets. Matt had one of the most impressive deuce points I’ve seen, what a battle. It came down to Philip’s match, and, after being down in the third set, he blasted on his afterburners and doubled down on his victory. Props to everyone for playing hard!

We play at home again this Thursday at 3:00 p.m. against Taylor. Word on the street is they’re a force to be reckoned with, so we’ll have to bring our A-game. Pray that we play well and that we can represent Christ through our actions (and some aces…?). We’ll hopefully see you there!

In Christ,

Chris


September 19, 2017

Welcome back Jacket tennis fans! This past week took us to Steubenville, Ohio, where we were pitted against the Franciscan Barons. However, before the doubles could finish their matches, the dark clouds let out a drizzle, then a shower, then a downpour. While this may be reason for disappointment, I would counter with this: We were able to get some tennis in, we sized up our opponents for the second round, we escaped potentially dreary classes (which I’m sure was not the case for anybody…), and, most importantly, configured and played Super Smash Brothers for the duration of the trip. I may have won the most, but that’s another matter.

I would like to say that Philip’s serve had quite the turnaround; in a matter of two weeks, he’s gone from double-faulting a game away in challenge matches to holding serve against Franciscan through numerable clean aces. Kill ‘em, Phil.

The rest of our fall season looks to be home matches now! This Thursday the 21st, we play Indiana East at 4:30 p.m. Pray for us and come see the match!

Until next time. Keep it real.


September 10, 2017

Hello again Yellow Jackets! I would like to start off with some bragging rights; Cedarville men’s tennis is currently undefeated! We played our first match on Wednesday against West Virginia State… also bearing yellow jackets as their mascot. Go figure. We all held our ground well and only a few games were given up overall.

The rest of the week has been spent in the heated crucible of challenge matches and finding out where us freshmen fit in with the team.

Our next match is this Thursday in Steubenville against Franciscan. We’ll be working for similar results as last match!

Until next week, God Bless!


September 5, 2017

The men’s tennis team has unanimously elected myself as our blog writer for this year; so hello to you all! My name is Chris Tsibouris, and I, along with Ryan Cvammen and Philip Brumbaugh, make up the freshman additions to the team. All three of us herald from Ohio, and we join Jon Class, Jeremy Hoover, Alex Totten, and Philip’s older brother, Matt Brumbaugh, to compose Cedarville Men’s Tennis.

We kicked off the year by spending a week at a lake house, courtesy of the gracious women’s tennis player Halie Hardwick. Wake boarding, slalom waterskiing, knee boarding, tubing, pontoon boat rides, kayaking, paddle boarding, fruitless turtle hunts, and many demonstrations of Ryan’s acrobatic talents filled our time. Some tried water sports for the first time, the freshmen learned names and integrated into the team, Matt proved to be the most clutch Kan-Jam player ever, and I discovered I am completely inept at using modern sink faucets. Good food and better times were had for all. Many thanks again to the Hardwick family!

Our first match is away against West Virginia State on Wednesday, Sept. 6th and our first home game is September 21st against Indiana East. We hope to see you there!


Chris Tsibouris is a freshman at Cedarville University from Westerville, Ohio and a mechanical engineering major.