The Warsaw boys tennis team entered its Northern Lakes Conference home match against Wawasee as heavy favorites, and played that way, winning 5-0 Tuesday. “What I told them tonight was to focus on each and every point,” Warsaw coach Rick Orban said. “Sometimes it’s tough (to stay focused). Let’s face it, we were the better team. If you’re playing someone who’s not quite as good, it’s easy to lose focus.” The win evens Warsaw’s overall record at 5-5, while improving its NLC mark to 3-2. Wawasee is now 3-10 overall and 0-5 in the conference play. “All-in-all, I think we’re improving,” Wawasee coach Vince Rhodes said. “We still have a lot of stuff to work on – our footwork for one. We’ve been running drills, running drills and running drills, then we get into matches and just start freezing up.” According to Rhodes, the reason for his guys’ lack of execution against Warsaw may stem from a lack of confidence. “They knew Warsaw was one of the top teams in the NLC and was going to be tough,” he said. “I think that plays a little mind game with them. I really think that our kids can play with quite a few of their players, it’s just getting it into their heads.” The closest match of the evening came at No. 3 singles, where Warsaw’s Caleb Ray won the opening set 6-1, but fell behind 4-3 in the second against Cal Heinisch. But just as all the attention turned to the court, Ray rebounded to take the second set 6-4. After falling behind, Orban’s message of focus got through to Ray, who was playing his first No. 3 singles match. “The reason (you want to stay focused), is because we’re playing South Bend St. Joseph (today),” Orban said. “Then, we have NorthWood (Thursday). I know NorthWood’s 1, 2, 3 singles aren’t that strong, but their doubles are extremely strong. So, all it would take is a hiccup and we could end up losing that match. There’s no practice between now and then.” The match was also senior night for Warsaw, celebrating varsity seniors Ray, Sam Rice, Cole Baker and Nic Jansen, as well as junior varsity players Wesley Schuler and Drew McCollom. “They’re great kids, great students, so you really can’t ask for much more than that,” he said of the seniors. “They’re super competitive and that’s really what you need to lead a team.” While Warsaw is at NorthWood Thursday, Wawasee will also be in NLC action, hosting Elkhart Memorial.
