Aug 23, 2021

It was hot.  A heat delay.  And we even saw bird flying north in attempts to escape the heat and get to someplace cooler.  Wow!  Standing in the shade and perspiring.  This is dedication.  And of course the lucrative amount of money we make as coaches….makes it all worth the while…just ask Doak his hourly wage for Football before he spends money out of his own pocket.

Beginning about 5:35 for a 5pm start time, the Cowgirls were ready.  Page, the defending Metro 4A champions, with new blood at the top of the roster pushing their depth lower throughout the top six, looked impressive…and the matches began.

Side bar:

The Cowgirls, due to the later start and the epically long match Audrey (#! SW) was involved in for both singles and dubs, we didn’t get to the bus before 9, returning by 9:40, Murphy walked into his house shortly after 10….it was a long day.  In turn, the write up will be greatly condensed because Coach decided to write this in the AM and the bell will ring in a scant 30 minutes….he will grace you with a longer, more involved write up as the season progresses and the first week of school distances.

We lost 2-7, but we played excellently.  Changing the narrative of the write up this time, we will focus on what we learned with a bit of commentary from the exception displays of grit.

Kate, court 6, faced off against a good player who played up at #5 for the Pirates on multiple occasions.  Kate was over matched.  But she held on to two games in total.  Kate learned to play back a bit, don’t get caught with the ball into the body, and high and loopy may the answer afterall.

Anna, court 5, fought and ran like a champion.  Facing off against a sr with 3+ more years’ experience, point for point, Anna held tight, but there was an element of experience there that Anna couldn’t overcome.  She still was able to push her opponent around the court, but upon a short ball or errant hit, the Pirate capitalized.  In chat with coach, Anna will develop a more direct shot, through an increase in her power over this season, developing a lower, more drive ball to hit it out of the opponent’s power band.

Lauren, court 4, fought well.  The heat, the first day of school, calculus!!!! And then to play a match.  But Lauren hunkered down.  Unable to fully drive her opponent with her crosscourt shot due to a deeper, well hit ball from the Pirate, Lauren’s game was hindered.  The Pirate, well versed in match play, proved too much for the cowgirl.  Lauren will continue working on her shots, developing them even when facing a giant on the court.

Grace, court 3, did wonderful.  Slow in the uptake fin the first set, she found her rhythm.  Going up 4-1 in the second before the Pirate closed in and took the victory.  Grace learned how to hit a much harder ball, a much deeper ball, and a much wider ball.  Though errors happen, the higher the court you play on, the more the opponent will punish you for making those mistakes.  But Grace kept going!  She changed her stroke, adjusted her shots, and made a real run of it in the second.  Experience.  Give Grace 3 to 4 more weeks and she will be in her zone.

Tran, court 2, played lasts years #1.  The Pirate was strong, but not backing down, Tran was able to take her on points and cobbled together 3 games in total with several more going to tiebreaker.  The Pirates game was Tran’s game…only bigger, with better angles and faster paced shots.  I tell you from experience, it is hard to beat someone with, not only a better game, but one that so closely mimics your own.  Tran learned that well placed speed matters.  Angles are critical at this level, and consistency is king.

Audrey, Court 1, faced a literal giant.  Starter for the basketball team, this pirate had deft moves and shots on the court.  Not daunted by this challenger, Audrey began. 

Holding serve on both sides (Audrey serving first), the players battled hard and long.  Exacerbating the intensity of the match was the heat.  Remember the birds flying north to escape…yep.  Believe it or not, no AC out on the courts.  Silly GCS!  Trading shot, like boxers trading punches.  Both seems immune to the wiles of the other.  Audrey up 4-3….and 2 Double fauts in a row coupled with poor serving, the Pirate held her own, now 4-5.  Audrey lengthened her shot, extending her game to draw the Pirate into longer and longer hitting rallies…and it worked.  Breaking her back, 6-5.

The heat!  Longer change overs so as to allow the ladies to rest a bit with plenty of hydration, The Pirate comes back invigorated…tied at 6-6. 

The tie breaker.  Clearly the heat was causing concern for the Pirate.

1-0

1-1

2-1

3-1

4-1

5-1

5-2

6-2

7-2 Audrey clinches the tiebreaker and clearly, the mental edge of the match.

A long rest before the second from both sides.  Audrey began strong once more, holding both her serves, the Pirate barely securing her own.  In the 4^th game, a long rally….games of attrition are a mainstay of Audrey’s repertoire – be it power play of drawing the match out – 7 shots in, the Pirate goes down.  Coaches are called, the trainer too.  In short, play was halted.  The Pirate retired, Audrey prevails.

Leg cramp with a slight ankle twist…the Pirate should be ready to go with rest and ice in a few.

With only Grimsley as the great unknown of the Conference, things are looking good for Audrey as top player in this conference too!

Dubs played well.  Grace and Tran teamed up against a very good pirate duo.  The cowgirls were out gunned and out maneuvered, but held to point after point, changing their tactics to lengthen the points and draw2 game wins from the Pirates.

Audrey and Anna teamed up at #2.  Anna is learning by leaps and bounds from both Audrey and the level of play she has been thrust into.  Down at  4-5, The cowgirls broke the Pirates serve, not just once, but twice to sweep the last 4 games in their 8-5 victory.  Audrey, exhausted from the oven match before and Anna playing her upmost, secured victory #2 for the Cowgirls.

Lauren and Rachael Dee did incredible at the net.  Serves allowed for play, but the overall strength of the Pirates was evident.  Moving and hitting too well for the Cowgirls to challenge, The last match goes to Page.

Yes, some great play from the Cowgirls.  Losing 4, raising up, developing, and further molding this young team is a joy for coach.

Singles

Audrey Serb (SW) over Anna Schmedes (P) 7-6  (2); 2-1 ret.

Audrey Chen (P) over Tran Nguyen (SW), 6-0, 6-3

Hattie Sloyan (P)over Grace Parsons (SW), 6-1 6-4

AP Eskridge (P) over Lauren Harris (SW), 6-1, 6-2

Molly Holshouser (P) over Anna McGinnis (SW), 6-2 6-0

Abby Terrell (P) over Kate Cherry (SW), 6-1 6-1

Doubles

Terrell/Herrick (P) over Nguyen/Parsons (SW), 8-2

Serb/McGinnis (SW) over Sloyan/Mary Cox(P) ,

8-5

Allison Richardson/Sullivan Edmunds (P)over Harris/Rachael Dee (SW), 8-0

Page over the Cowgirls 7-2 in conference play

Page wins their opener to go 1-0 in both conference and overall

Page will play Ragsdale on Wednesday, 8/25

Cowgirls drop to 1-2 overall, 0-1 in conference

Cowgirls travel to Western Guilford to try to even up in conference and overall play on Wednesday.