by John Fanta ’13 and Presented by Head Varsity Tennis Coach Jon Barker ’87
Early in the season, the Saint Ignatius Tennis squad is going through a bit of a bumpy road, like many high school teams in any sport. Learning the chemistry in everything that is going on in a jam-packed schedule can be tough. Coach Jon Barker likes the direction of his team, though, and knows that the sky is the limit for them.
Friday, the Wildcats went to Highland for a team tournament, and they were ready for the weekend. They knocked out Highland 5-0. Junior Jack Napoli filled in for the ill Karl Fehn, and Jack stepped up very strongly. He was put in a tough role as the Wildcats were missing Karl, but Jack showed great strength.
On Saturday, down two regular starters, the Wildcats fought to the very end with St. Xavier in Lexington, Ohio. The second doubles team of Bobby Kirchner and Nick Siciliano rolled their opponents in straight sets, and sophomore Nate Griffin outlasted a tough senior in the number one slot, defeating him 7-5 in the third set. Unfortunately, we fell 2-3 to the Bombers, but the team is learning in the early season, and is getting better every step of the way.
On Tuesday, the ‘Cats take the road for a match. Wednesday, they are at home (Magnificat Courts) for match play against the Shormen of Avon Lake.
