Pirates tennis looks young but promising

If the matches eventually take place, the Ottawa Pirate netters will be set to take the courts.

"Of the two weeks that we were able to practice, we only had to go inside one day; that's rare — (the weather was) about as good as it's ever been — I don't remember the last time that happened," said veteran Pirates coach Matt Gross, now in his 20th year at the helm of the Ottawa High School boys tennis program.

"The fact that we were able to be outside every day except one (this early in the season) to sort of work out the cobwebs from the winter, it's a definite luxury to be able to actually hit on a tennis court. You get to actually practice ... because they're sometimes when we're not even able to figure out who's playing where before our first match because of the weather, but this time around had we (played our opener this past Saturday), we would have been ready to go.

"So the season really couldn't have started much better — other than our interruption here."

That "interruption" occurred during the team's practice Friday, March 13.

"(OHS AD Mike Cooper) came out when we were on the courts and informed (frosh/soph coach Tracey O'Fallon and I that the season was being suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic)," Gross said. "And then later on in practice we shared the info with the boys on each of the teams. They were kind of stunned — they didn't really expect that, but none of us expected that — but they understood.

"They're excited to play, so I think there was some genuine disappointment in not being able to play our (first) match, and now obviously we've found out it's going to be more.

"We basically encouraged them to get out on the courts whenever they could — obviously take care of themselves and do what they needed to do to stay healthy, but we encouraged them to exercise while they were at home — and that we would be in touch.

"At this point, we're just hopeful that we get to play the season, and when the time is right we'll just pick up where we left off."

Gross' small nine-player varsity roster is evenly classified: three seniors, three juniors and three sophomores.

"We're very inexperienced, but I think (these kids are) solid," said Gross, who noted six of the nine are strictly tennis players and that he has worked with the majority of them since they were younger. "Some people might look at the roster and be like, 'You only have three seniors and you're young,' but I'm fine with that. The young kids are energetic and enthusiastic, and they're excited to play. No matter what their age, they're going to be just fine in the roles that they're going to be in.

"A couple of things stick out to me with this group. One is, they're steady. They buy into the idea of consistency over power; they're fine with just playing smart, and that's something we stress a lot. The other thing is, I never get the feeling that these kids are in a rush to be done with practice, which to me just says that they enjoy it out there and like working on their game, and I think all that just translates into them improving every day.

"With nine kids, they're all going to play a role ... and they'll be able to gain a lot of experience."

Leading the Pirates "quietly" will be the junior pair of Regan Linde and Sam Walker — the only returners from last year — who've previously competed in singles but will form a doubles tandem.

The Cheli brothers — experienced senior Vadim and sophomore Eddy — will play singles. Junior Tanner Ditchfield, sophomores Will Goetz and Ethan Krafft, along with a to-be-determined competitor will fill the other doubles spots.

Multi-sport 12th-graders Keegan Nagle and Zach Nelson are newcomers.

Gross believes his Pirates could fare well in the new Interstate Eight Conference and hopes to qualify some for the state tournament.

"I just feel good about this group from the first two weeks. I mean, it's rare that I get to see (the kids) actually hit on a real tennis court for a full two weeks almost," Gross said.