Jaguars play well but fall to Rocky River
The varsity and junior varsity tennis teams faced Rocky River High School in an away match at Tri-City Park on August 31. The varsity team dropped a 5-0 match to the Pirates despite several competitive sets. The junior varsity team fell by a score of 3-0. Rocky River High School’s tennis program is one of the strongest Saint Joseph Academy will face this season but both teams walked off the court proud of their effort.
Junior captain Hannah Schuette went up against Sarah Robertson at first singles and dropped the first set 6-4. Schuette however rallied with an impressive win in the second set (6-1) to take the match to a 10-point tiebreaker. Schuette and Robertson went back and forth in the tiebreaker with Robertson finally posting a 10-7 tiebreak win to take the match.
Freshman Cassie Van Etten held her own at second singles against Zoe Douglas of Rocky River, a varsity player two years her senior. Van Etten played well but fell 6-3, 6-3.
Van Etten said, “Whether you’re down by a set, a few games, or a few points, always fight for that next point. That’s what I tried to do today.” Van Etten said that this idea has motivated the team throughout the season and will be their motto for the next time Saint Joseph Academy goes up against Rocky River High School on September 28 at Tri-City Park.
Jaguars Head Coach Dan Mitoff also remarked, “Rocky River has a very strong team top to bottom, and I thought we played well on every court. Hannah Schuette played her best match of the season against another great player at first singles.”
He applauded the Jaguars for a such a competitive match and is looking forward to the rematch with the Pirates in a few weeks.
