Battle-Hardened and Ready, USM Sweeps Prairie School

After playing straight matches against two of the top five Division 1 teams in the state on Tuesday and Wednesday, the boys’ tennis team traveled to Racine to play a perennially tough D2 opponent, The Prairie School on Thursday. Thanks to their tough schedule, the Wildcats were battle-hardened and ready.  USM swept through the match like a street cleaner and won 7-0.

USM coach Russ Trimble was pleased with Thursday’s result. “The kids feel much better now after the last two D1 matches. It was the best we have seen them play as a team.”

The USM doubles teams lost all of their matches against Homestead on Wednesday, but they took it out on the Knights on Thursday.  USM did not lose a set.  Brent Mackman and Ty Parks won the number 1 doubles match against Daniel Sellers and Jake Armus 6-1, 6-1.  In the No. 2 doubles match Topher McGhee and Andrew Stewart beat Prairie’s Matt Cain and Charlie Lamberton, 6-2, 6-2.  Joey Harris and Emmett Scovil of USM beat Venkat Gainedi and Aki Jayaprakash in No. 3 doubles 6-2, 6-0. 

To complete a match left over from Monday’s Midwest Classic Conference Tournament, USM’s Ethan Ardern and Adam Salaymeh also beat Gainedi and Jayaprakash, 7-5, 6-2.  The victory made Ardern and Salaymeh the conference’s three doubles champions.

USM had little trouble in three of Thursday’s singles matches.  In the number 2 singles match USM’s Sam Walker beat Zane Navratil, 6-3, 6-2.  Rishi Karri beat Thomas Ware of Prairie, 6-2, 6-1 in No. 3 singles and USM’s Tommy Camilleri beat Alejandro Tineo Paz 6-0, 6-0.

Trimble commented on the three matches, “Sam found his old fighting spirit and really took it to Navratil. Rishi played his normal flawless game and Tommy Camilleri came through with his second varsity win and shut Paz out.”

The day’s final match was the match of the day.  Two of the state’s top D2 singles players faced off in No. 1 singles. In a contest that had lots of volleys and some sensational plays, USM’s Andrew Hwang outlasted James Stark of The Prairie School, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.

Trimble explained, “Andrew Hwang had a huge win over James Stark. He played great tactical tennis and wore his opponent down. It was the last match to finish and the whole team was sitting along the outside of the court watching their teammate drive the ball back and forth with Stark. I think Andrew's strategy of driving his  forehand cross court to Stark's backhand, and keeping the pressure on with few unforced errors tired his opponent out and caused him to make mistakes. It was the best I have seen Andrew play this year.”

The Wildcats are not yet ready to rest. They play again on Friday and Saturday in the Waukesha South Invitational.  After a day off Sunday, the Wildcats take part in the Sub sectionals of the WIAA Division 2 state tournament at Pleasant Valley Tennis Center on Monday.  Play begins at 9 a.m.