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MORRIS – Friday was senior night at Morris, and, fittingly, Morris had the only three seniors taking part in its 4-1 nonconference win against Joliet Catholic Academy.
All three of the doubles teams for Morris featured a senior. Mason Kitchell was paired with sophomore Connor Ahearn at No. 1 doubles, Zack Berman paired with sophomore Shane Phillips at No. 2, and Brandon Temme teamed with freshman Hunter Lindenborn at No. 3.
Morris captured two of the three doubles matches. Kitchell and Ahearn beat JCA’s tandem of junior Anthony Munoz and sophomore Ryan Streitz, and Berman and Phillips beat JCA juniors Jack Oswalt and Nate Novak 6-0, 6-3. JCA got the win at No. 3 doubles with juniors Matt Sojka and Jack Moburg beating Temme and Lindenborn 6-3, 4-6, 10-4.
Kitchell and Ahearn formed a formidable wall at the net in their match and used a strong serving game, as well.
“It felt good to win on senior night,” Kitchell said. “Connor and I have been playing well together. We are both tall and when we’re both at the net, it can be tough to get the ball past us. I feel like we are getting better as the season goes on. We are definitely better than we were last year.
“My biggest goal for us this year is to finish better in the conference than we have. My sophomore year, we were second, and last year we were third. We are hoping to do better, but there are a lot of good teams in our conference.”
In singles action, Morris freshman Connor Barth beat junior Eli Zelinski 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1, while sophomore Tristan Olvera beat the Hilltoppers’ Thomas Dvorak 6-0, 6-1 at No. 2.
“We had a really good day,” Morris coach Sara Davy said. “We have a real good group of kids and they all work well together.
“I thought the No. 1 doubles match was the match of the day. It was a lot tighter than the score indicates. I was happy with Mason and Connor and how they moved. They have been working on some things, a couple of new plays, and they went out and executed them tonight.
“Overall, we have a good mix. The seniors – Mason, Zach and Brandon – are really good with the younger kids, and they all have a lot of fun together. Those seniors are very organized. I work at Lincoln-Way Central, and when I get here for practice, the seniors already have the guys stretching and warming up. They know the routine, and they have been a great help here in my first year.”
JCA coach Scott Allgood was happy with the progress he has seen from his young squad this season.
“We are still going through some growing pains,” Allgood said. “But we are getting stronger every time out. We’re in a stretch right now where the guys will play eight matches in five days. With so many juniors playing, every swing we get is needed experience.
“Morris has a solid team. Coach Davy has done an excellent job. I thought our No. 3 doubles [Sojka and Moburg] played well. It was a good win for them. Now we get ready for our conference tournament next weekend, and then the postseason two weekends from now. The spring season kind of flies by.”