A midweek pep talk from coach Matt Irby couldn’t have come at a better time for the Emporia High boys tennis team.
Battling cold temperatures and a biting wind on Thursday, the Spartans pushed the weather out of their minds enough to turn in a few hot performances at the five-team Emporia High Invitational. EHS finished third as a team with 12 points behind Blue Valley West (21), which is receiving votes in the Class 6A coaches poll, and Maize (17). EHS finished one spot ahead of Hayden (9), which is ranked third in Class 4A.
“(Wednesday) at practice, we had a talk about focusing on what our mentality should be, and I thought everybody came out and really played that way,” Irby said. “I was really pleased. We didn’t have any excuses. I didn’t hear once during a changeover how cold it was out there. Their minds were in the right spots.”
The top showing of the day went to No. 1 singles player Chris Reimer, who finished second with a 3-1 record.
Reimer perhaps best displayed the mental fortitude Irby sought from his team, as the adjustments he made after dropping his first match of the day allowed him to close the invite with three straight victories.
In his first match against Blue Valley West’s David Tipton, Reimer said he got frustrated by the things he could not control — the wind, his opponent, his cold hands — and consequently, he lost the match, 8-1.
After that, however, Reimer adjusted, and the changes paid off. He went on to defeat Derby’s Lutz Lai, 8-5, Maize’s Rod Cuestas, 8-2, and Hayden’s Kane Lesperance, 8-0
“I just brought things back a little bit and allowed myself to work with what I had,” Reimer said. “I kind of used the wind to my advantage by lobbing the ball more, and I just let things come to me.”
“He’s matured his game, and he’s a lot smarter,” Irby said of Reimer. “It was a really good start to the season for him.”
Emporia came up with a pair of third-place finishes as well, as the No. 2 doubles team of Adam Coburn and Brandon Heavener finished with a 2-2 record while No. 2 singles player David Nasrazadani went 1-3 but still finished ahead of the No. 2 singles players from Hayden and Derby.
Coburn and Heavener won their matches against teams from Derby and Hayden each by 8-1 scores and dropped matches to Blue Valley West, 8-5, and Maize, 8-3.
Coburn, who was playing in just his second varsity match and his first as a doubles partner with Heavener, said he was pleased with the results.
“I’ve never played tennis on such a cold day before — ever,” he said. “You just kind of have to deal with it and learn to get along with the weather. We definitely had to move in place quite a few times during the matches, but we were really competitive in our matches.
“... I’m really excited that we won a couple and didn’t blow the whole thing.”
Nasrazadani, in his first meet of the season, picked up his lone victory in his second match of the day, as he defeated Derby’s Evan Yule, 8-1.
The No. 1 doubles pair of Sergio Segura and Nathan Ferree — also playing together for the first time — finished with a 1-3 record, defeating a team from Derby, 8-0, to finish fourth.
“I was actually really pleased with the way everybody played today,” Irby said. “They all did a lot of nice things today and stayed focused.”
Emporia will play host to its third home invite of the week when it holds the seven-team Emporia Invitational starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday at the EHS tennis courts.
Emporia Invitational
Thursday at EHS
Team Scores
1. Blue Valley West 21, 2. Maize 17, 3. Emporia 12, 4. Hayden 9, 5. Derby 5.
EHS Individual Results
No. 1 Singles
David Tipton, BVW, def. Chris Reimer, Emp, 8-1; Reimer def. Lutz Lai, D, 8-5; Reimer def. Rod Cuestas, M, 8-2; Reimer def. Kane Lesperance, Hay, 8-0.
No. 2 Singles
Josh Steddom, BVW, def. David Nasrazadani, Emp, 8-1; Nasrazadani def. Evan Yule, D, 8-1; Dylan Welch, M, def. Nasrazadani, 8-3; Matt Sankoorikal, Hay, def. Nasrazadani, 8-6.
No. 1 Doubles
Zach Shriwise/Benny Wilinsky, BVW, def. Sergio Segura/Nathan Ferree, Emp, 8-2; Segura/Ferree def. Phillip Morris/Tim Sherman, D, 8-0; Clinton Chlumsky/Jake Brucks, M, def. Segura/Ferree, 8-4; Zack Hanks/Brendan Sheehy, Hay, def. Segura/Ferree, 8-1.
No. 2 Doubles
Chris Tsang/Grant Steffes, BVW, def. Adam Coburn/Brandon Heavener, Emp, 8-5; Coburn/Heavener def. Robert Steinocher/Joey Calhoun, D, 8-1; Dien Truong/Sam Brucks, M, def. Coburn/Heavener, 8-3; Coburn/Heavener def. Andy Grollnes/Tony Boltron, Hay, 8-1.