By John Raffel
The Dow Varsity tennis team improved to 16-0-1 on the year after winning the Midweek Classic with 22 out of a possible 24 points. Dow dispatched regional opponent Flushing 8-0, #10 University of Detroit Jesuit 8-0, and #4 Forest Hills Central 6-2. Dow next plays at the Greater Michigan Tennis Center on Saturday in the Sunsational Saturday tournament featuring Grosse Pointe North, Portage Central, and #7 Okemos.
Coach Terry Schwartzkopf:”FHC always makes me uncomfortable…I guess you could say they are our arch rival for states…so any day we can pull out a decisive victory over them is a good day. Truth be told, our boys cannot ever take a single match for granted. There is a definite target on our back and EVERY team we play seems to play their best tennis against us. That is the curse of a top ranking, I guess. That being said, every tournament, every match won is one step closer to realizing our dream. And I feel we keep getting better. We still are not full strength but our reserves are up to the task, as evidenced by today. Austin lost a heartbreaker against FHC, but those first two sets were some of the best tennis I have seen him play. He is nowhere close to his ceiling and it has been a joy watching him get better and better. From top to bottom, these guys remain hungry and I believe will be satiated only with a title in October.”