Cedarville University Yellow Jackets

May 2, 2011

The season is now officially over. The match against Anderson was cancelled because of weather and was not rescheduled.

We had our year-ending meeting yesterday at Coach Edlund’s house. We all ate a meal and were able to get rid of some of the stress from all the studying leading up to finals. We talked about the fun times we had during the season and how we think things will be with the incoming freshmen and the absence of the seniors. After the meal, all of us gathered in Coach’s living room and talked about what we were planning on doing in the summer. Our two seniors will be going further south to continue their education. Kyle DeBoer and Kyle Kirby will be missed by everyone. They brought a lot of fun and experience to the team.

The off season is here. It is one of my favorite times of the year. I will get to recuperate from finals week and the tennis season for a few weeks, then I will start training and working on my tennis game. It’s always fun adding a new shot to your arsenal, or improving on a weakness. The other guys have plans to hit this summer also. Everyone seems determined to improve and return next year to have a better season.

Thanks to all those that support Cedarville University Men’s Tennis. I can’t wait to see you all next year!


April 25, 2011

Last week we had one tennis match. We played Capital University in Columbus. Everyone played well and we were able to get out with a 9-0 win. That match could be our last of the season. We are supposed to play Anderson University this Tuesday, but that match has a high possibility of being cancelled because of the weather. The match will probably not be rescheduled.

Easter break was great! Most of the guys were able to go home or to a friend’s house. I stayed on campus to study for some upcoming exams. Most people think staying at Cedarville over breaks is boring. I actually enjoyed it. I was able to spend time with those that stayed behind and was able to catch up on some needed sleep.

I can’t believe the season is almost over. In some ways it seems like it just started. In other ways it seems like it has been going on forever. My body definitely is telling me it is time for a break. But I know I will miss the competitiveness of the game as soon as the season comes to an end.


April 18, 2011

Last week was busy with three tennis matches. We started off the week heading to Ohio Dominican University on Tuesday. Aaron and Bobby were able to win their doubles. Aaron also won singles along with Kyle DeBoer. The rest of the team struggled against ODU’s line up.

Next was West Virginia State on Thursday. We left at 10:30 a.m. and did not get back until around 9:00 p.m. It was a long trip, but we were able to secure an easy 9-0 victory.

Saturday we had our last conference tennis match against Roberts Wesleyan. We had an off match and were handed our worst loss of the year. We finished the season third in our conference.

This upcoming week we have two matches. The first will be Tuesday. We face Georgetown College. It should be a tough match. We are hoping for a win in that match. We then travel to Columbus on Thursday to face Capital.

Easter Break is right around the corner and the guys are ready to take a break. Most will be spending Easter with their families. It will be good to take a few days off of tennis to recuperate for our last two matches of the season when we get back.

The team has set up a prayer list thanks to Kyle DeBoer. Kyle gives each one of us a person on the team to pray about. I like this a lot because we send e-mails to one another once we get our assigned person and ask them what specific thing they want us to pray for. This has helped our team grow closer together. We can share what we are struggling with and that person can pray for them and even talk to them about it.

Hope to see you at the courts for our last few matches of the season. Thanks for all the support.


April 11, 2011

Last week we had three matches. We played Walsh on Tuesday and lost 8-1 with Kyle Kirby playing an awesome three-set match to win at #4 singles. He said he played one of the best matches of his life.

Thursday we played Indiana East. They were much weaker than Walsh and we had no trouble wrapping up that match 9-0.

On Friday we traveled to Berea in Kentucky. Within 30 minutes of us getting there it started pouring. Some of the guys decided to have some fun and run around in the rain. After a while, the match was called off. We headed for our hotel and just hung out, and had our devotional before calling it a night.
 
The next day we went to Cumberlands in Williamsburg, KY for a match. They were a tough team. Coach didn’t think we played as well as we could have. We lost that match 5-4.

I have been trying a new approach to tennis. Lately, I have been getting extremely frustrated with the way I have been playing. I decided that for the rest of the season I am going to enjoy playing tennis and relax more on the court. That doesn’t mean that I will lose my competitiveness and not try to win. This new strategy helped in the second set of my match Saturday. I played better, and even enjoyed myself.

This week we have matches Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. They will be tough. The first two will be on the road. The last one at home. Hopefully, we will have great weather.


April 4, 2011

Last week we had two matches. Both of them were at home, but both had to be played indoors. Wednesday we played Central State. For the first time in my career we played a match in the Doden Field House. Everyone played well including the freshmen who normally don’t play in the lineup. We won the match 9-0. Thursday our match against Otterbein was cancelled because of the weather.

Saturday we went to Springfield Racquet Club to play Malone. We again had a great match with the final score 8-1 in our favor. This upcoming week will be one of our toughest. We start off with home matches Tuesday and Thursday against Walsh and Indiana East, and then we will take an overnight trip to Kentucky on Friday to play Berea and Cumberlands.

Mike Clark is the ultimate teammate. He is the one you always hear screaming his lungs out after a good shot, or offering encouragement after a tough loss. I must say he is one of the best teammates I have ever had in any sport. It is not unlikely to hear Mike cheering from a few courts over even if he is playing a match. He makes tennis feel more like a team sport and has no doubt played a huge role in bringing all of us closer as a team.

Tuesday will be a tough match. Come out and support us if you can.


March 28, 2011

The weather the past few days made playing tennis miserable. Last Thursday we went to Northern Kentucky University. We played an extremely good team in 39 degree weather. The only one that was able to pull out a match was Drew Steinhart. He played real consistent and was able to frustrate his opponent and take him out of his rhythm. Saturday, both of our matches were cancelled because the temperature was too cold. Hopefully the upcoming week will bring good weather so that we can play all three of our home matches.

On the trip to NKU, a few of the guys were talking about the engagement of former tennis player Caleb Speicher. Kyle DeBoer asked the guys if we had seen the engagement pictures. I had told him I had seen the video of Caleb’s proposal, but not the pictures. DeBoer quickly told me the pictures happened on a different day than the proposal. I asked what engagement pictures were. He told me it is when you go in the woods and kiss while someone takes pictures of you. He then went on to say he had to learn about the pictures when he got engaged.

We have matches Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday this week. The last two matches will mean a lot to me because it is the first time my Mom will watch me play a college tennis match. Tennis is her favorite sport and I am the only one of her kids that decided to pursue it at a higher level.

Thanks for all the support. Hope to see you at the courts this week.


March 21, 2011

Last Saturday we played the University of Charleston at the Johnson-Murdoch Tennis Complex here at Cedarville. The Charleston team was much stronger than the previous year. A few of their players had improved a lot. Aaron pulled out a great singles win. Unfortunately that was our only point as we lost 8-1.

We have another tough opponent this Thursday. We will travel to Northern Kentucky University for a match. They have a strong squad. We will finish the week with two matches on Saturday against Baldwin-Wallace and Capital in Columbus.

This week Dr. Lewis challenged us to talk about different appetites we have. We talked about how those desires are given by God and can’t completely be satisfied forever. For example, we have a desire to eat food, but after we eat it is only a matter of time before we have that same desire. Our talk about desires will continue next time we meet.

Thanks to all those who came out to support us Saturday. It is always great having fans at our matches.


March 14, 2011

Spring break is over! It was a fun week of tennis and hanging out. Time flew by and I can’t believe we are already back on campus and starting classes again. The trip down south was a productive one. We were able to put in two good, long days of practice. Over those two days we spent at least 11 hours on the court. Wednesday we had a rain day and most of the guys were happy it rained. The past two practices had been tough and almost everyone felt sore and tired from them. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we played matches at Erskine, Reinhardt, and Carson Newman. The only win we picked up was on Friday. Saturday was a tough match. Almost everyone was worn down from the long week.

One of the nights we had a big scare. We were eating at Sonnies, a barbeque place close to our hotel in Cornelia. Everyone was enjoying the good food. Suddenly Coach Edlund got up. We just stared at him for a few seconds before we recognized he was choking. Aaron quickly jumped up and started hitting him in the back. Mike recognized that Aaron wasn’t doing the right thing in that situation so he hurried over to Coach and performed the Heimlich Maneuver. It worked and Coach was able to finish his meal after calming down a little.

Our devotions each night were on having a high performance attitude. We talked about having a Christian attitude in the world, attitude of people in the Bible, structures of bad attitudes, and structures of good attitudes. Even though everyone was extremely tired during these devotions, we were able to have some good discussions of the topics we covered.

Kyle DeBoer just keeps coming up with good blog material. One night Jake said he was going to sleep like a baby. DeBoer replied by saying don’t do that -  babies wake up in the middle of the night and you have to hold them.


March 7, 2011

Well we made it down to Cornelia, Georgia on Saturday after an eight hour drive. On the way we stopped at David Barton’s house in North Carolina for an awesome home cooked meal. Later on, after we got to the hotel, we had the first of our nightly devotions. Sunday was a fun day with the guys. We went to church at North Point Community. That was one of the most unique churches I have ever been to. The worship was like a rock concert. There were flashing lights and even a fog machine. They had a main auditorium and an overflow auditorium. The overflow had to watch the service on a big screen. After church we went to a place called the Underground in Atlanta. It is like an underground mall. It was real nice and the food was great.

I have enjoyed the guys a lot on this trip. We have become real close through our devotions, and the numerous individual and team talks we have had. Everyone seems to always be in a happy and joking mood. There is never a trip in the car or meal where laughter is absent.

Weather is a big deal in tennis. Some people like it hot, others like it cold. Most people hate the wind, but a few like it. Kyle DeBoer is someone who never seems to be fazed by cold weather. This is a guy who walks into a restaurant with a t-shirt and shorts on cold days. On the trip down we were talking about how people handle the cold. I told him I just tell my mind that it isn’t cold. DeBoer told me that you don’t tell your mind it is not cold. You tell your mind you want it to be cold. It’s 10% temperature and 90% attitude.


February 28, 2011

Our first match of the spring was a tough one. We lost 7-2 to a good Findlay team who was strong up and down their lineup. Kyle DeBoer and Bobby Eberhard were able to pull out a gutsy come from behind doubles win at the #2 spot. DeBoer also was able to secure our second win with a three-set match at #5 singles. In the end it was a match that we can look back on and figure out what we need to improve on. Our spring break trip is right around the corner and I guarantee you the guys will be working on their weaknesses as we practice for the first few days in Georgia.

One thing I am still learning from the coaches and my teammates is tennis strategy. On Saturday DeBoer told me what his strategy is after he wins the first set, but is losing the second. He told me normally, when he is down 4-0 or worse in the second set, he likes to frustrate his opponent and get him out of rhythm by hitting a lob and then hitting his next shot as hard as he can. It worked for him last Saturday as he easily won the third set 6-2. This is one of the more suspect tennis strategies I have heard about, but I am not questioning it. You can’t argue with results.

Spring Break is not only a time to focus on tennis, but also a time of team bonding and spiritual growth. The team has a devotion led by coach every night before we head to sleep. My most memorable moments have happened over spring break. It is a lot of fun hanging with the guys and taking a break from classes. The hard part about coming home from Spring Break is that everyone is physically exhausted by all the hours of travel and court time we put into the trip. Going to classes that Monday is never a good feeling.

Next time you hear from me we will be in Georgia practicing hard. Thanks for all your support of Cedarville University men’s tennis.


February 21, 2011

Spring tennis season is here! It has been a long winter and everyone seems ready for match play to begin. We are all hoping this season will be one we can be proud of. Practices have gone well. I can already see an improvement in a lot of players - especially the freshmen. For the moment we are playing indoors every Tuesday and Thursday until the weather improves enough to practice outside.

Our first match of the spring season is this Saturday, Feb. 26. All the guys are excited about the opportunity to finally play after weeks of honing in our skills in preparation for the season. The University of Findlay is our first opponent. They have a good team and will be a great early test for us.

In other news, we have continued to meet weekly for devotions and fellowship on Sunday nights. The last two weeks we heard from Bobby Eberhard, Kyle DeBoer, and Coach Edlund about their tennis mission trips. Bobby went to Nepal with Athletes in Action last summer. Kyle and Coach went to China a few summers ago. The team enjoyed their stories of how they ministered in the countries they visited.


October 4, 2010

The fall tennis season concluded with the Alumni tennis match. Graduates of different ages and from all over the world came back to Cedarville on the Saturday to play against us. It was fun getting to know the Alumni and to hear some of their experiences while they were students here. The matches were fun, but competitive. Some of the Alumni had kept up their tennis game since graduation and gave challenging matches.

In the off-season the tennis team will continue our devotions led by Dr. Lewis. Our topic will continue to be wisdom. We will also be hitting the weight room and track to get ready for our main season in the spring. The spring season will be filled with tennis matches and we want to make sure we are in the best shape to get through it.

Thanks for supporting Cedarville men’s tennis. See you next semester hopefully wiser from our devotions and stronger from our workouts.


September 27, 2010

This week we had no team competition. Aaron Niemiec, Coach Edlund, I headed up to Grand Rapids, Michigan on Wednesday night for the annual regional ITA tournament. Aaron pulled out a tough three set victory in the first round, cruised to an easy victory in the second round, then lost to the #1 seed in the third round. I had a disappointing tournament going 0-2 in singles and 1-1 in doubles.

Cedarville has been going to this tournament for a number of years. No one from Cedarville has won the tournament though. This is the last year Cedarville will be participating in the NAIA ITA tournament. Next year we will be moving to NCAA Division II which has a different ITA tournament.

Kyle Kirby led our devotions Wednesday. His theme was listening to people who want to help. Kyle said he came in as a freshman who did not really know how to play the game of tennis. He knew how to hit the ball - strategy was what he lacked. By listening to the good advice of some people, he has been able to obtain an important spot in the lineup. Kyle not only talked about listening to improve in tennis, he also told us a story of how his parents helped him to make some important decisions concerning his college studies.

This Saturday we will have the alumni tennis match. Graduates of all ages come and play a match with the guys on the tennis team. Some of them have kept playing since graduation and are still great players. The team is looking forward to playing some fun matches with the alumni.


September 20, 2010

We had two matches on Saturday at Wittenberg University. The first team we played was Otterbein University, an NCAA III school from Westerville, Ohio. We won the match 7-2. Drew Steinhart had an awesome showing and won his first career college match 6-1, 6-1. The second team we played was Wittenberg. Aaron and Bobby cruised to an easy doubles victory to start out the match. Unfortunately, that was one of only two bright spots in that match. Aaron also won #1 singles after his opponent was disqualified because of unsportsman-like conduct. He first threw his racket, and then crushed a ball over the fence in frustration.

I learned a valuable lesson about the importance of being hydrated before, during, and after a match. During my singles match against Otterbein, I started cramping in the middle of the 2nd set. It got to the point where they called the trainer and she talked to me in between the 2nd and 3rd set. Fortunately for me I was able to pull out the win. The unfortunate part was we had a break in between the two matches so coach told me to go to the van and get hydrated and also eat to get some salt back in my body. After ten minutes in the van my whole body started to cramp up. Coach called the trainer again and they wheel- chaired me to the ice bath. After the ice bath they took me back to the bus. I wasn’t able to stand up for 3 straight hours. I have now learned my lesson and will make sure my body is in the right condition before I play a match.

In our team devotions we are talking about wisdom. Dr. Lewis has challenged us to read a Proverb every day. Proverbs is full of wisdom and I am looking forward to the discussions we will have on that topic. Kyle DeBoer spoke Wednesday and gave us insight on how we should approach both tennis and life.

A few days ago I talked to my Mom. She told me a story about how when I was young she didn’t know what to do with me so she used to put a racquetball racquet in my hand and held me as we both hit a racquetball against our refrigerator. My Mom’s love of the game is why I am playing. She wanted one of her children to stick with tennis and I decided to do that. I thank her, my father, and the rest of my family for all the support they have given me over the years.


September 14, 2010

Last week we had no tennis matches. After careful observation of every person during our match, Coach Edlund picked out certain parts of our tennis game that he thought needed improvement. The first few practices were spent working on these weaknesses. The rest of the practices were spent implementing what we have learned in matches to get us prepared for our upcoming matches this Saturday.

Wednesday our devotion was on Romans 13:7 which says that "we should give honor where honor is due”. Dr. Lewis challenged us to choose at least one person who has made an impact in our tennis game and thank them for all they have done. This made me remember that I did not get to this level of tennis by myself. I had a lot of people supporting me throughout my tennis career. My family has been my biggest support in pursuing tennis. They were there when I was winning and losing. They were there supporting me in the heat and in the cold. They took care of me when I was injured and they encouraged me to continue playing when I felt like giving up.

Former Yellow Jacket Caleb Speicher came to play with us last Monday. His tennis game has declined a little, but his yelling on the court is still at the same intensity level. We hope to see him back at the courts this year.


September 7, 2010

Last Friday was our first match of the season as we hosted Taylor University and lost 7-2. There were, however, some bright spots in the match. Aaron Niemiec and I came back from a 5-2 deficit to win #1 doubles 9-7. Bobby Eberhard fought hard to win the first set in his singles match. He then cruised to win the second set 6-1. 

Another bright spot was our chaplain, Dr. Lewis, who was actively involved in our match. I learned that he is not only interested in our spiritual lives. He wants to see us succeed in our tennis matches also. Dr. Lewis has good knowledge of the game of tennis and his coaching will be very valuable this year. 

The freshmen, Drew Steinhart, Jake Miller, David Barton, and Anthony Ganzsarto struggled some and at times looked a little nervous in their matches, but that is expected. As time goes on they will get used to the college game, settle down, and win some matches for the team. It has been good getting to know these new guys. Their work ethic is great and they will definitely improve if they keep up their hard work. 

Though the loss was disappointing, we now know what we have to work on for our next two matches coming up in two weeks. We will also be looking forward to the return of senior Kyle Kirby who had other commitments at the same time as the Taylor match. 

Graduate Caleb Speicher called me on Saturday. He talked about his classes at the seminary he is attending in Dayton. He is a little disappointed that he is the only young guy there. He told me that he can’t wait for Kyle DeBoer to graduate so that He can follow him wherever he decides to go to seminary. Caleb will be back at Cedarville this Wednesday checking up on the team and hopefully hitting some balls with us.

September 3, 2010

Summer has ended and the guys are enjoying being back at the Johnson-Murdoch Tennis Complex hitting tennis balls. Practices have been intense with a lot of competitive matches being played to figure out where everyone will be in the lineup. Everyone seems excited about the opportunities we have to make this 2010-11 season a success.

This year our tennis program will look different. We had nine new students show interest in playing tennis so coach decided to start up a junior varsity schedule.

Not all of the new players will be on the JV team. Because of an injury to one of our players and the loss of three players from last year’s team, a few freshmen will have to step up and get used to the college game real quick.

Another way our program will look different is the addition of our new Chaplain, Dr. Jeffrey Lewis. Dr. Lewis has been at several practices getting to know each one of us personally. He will lead our team devotions this year.

The loss of our seniors will be felt by all of the returning players. Caleb Speicher and Zach Rost were always supportive to the new people on the team last year. They kept the mood light and helped us to relax before, during, and after matches. We will miss their leadership.

Kyle Kirby and Kyle DeBoer are our seniors this year. Both of them will provide consistent play for us. Bobby Eberhard, our number two singles player, and Mike Clark are our juniors. We expect big things from both of them this season. My roommate Aaron Neimiec, our number one singles player, and I are the two returning sophomores.

We look forward to not only growing in skill as a team, but also spiritually through our devotions.