As we near the final phases of the 2024 boys tennis season, it is crucial to deliver peak performances when facing off in multi-school events. For the boys tennis team here at Westside, their crucial competition came on Monday, Sept 30, as they hosted their annual Westside invitational event, featuring some of the best tennis talent state-wide.
The Warriors performed decently on their home courts, coming away with a composite record of 6-6, thus netting them a fourth place overall finish just behind the likes of Millard West, Creighton Prep, and Lincoln East, who’s squadron pieced together a spectacular 12-0 run on the evening. While it wasn’t the success statement of an invitational that the boys were hoping for, the event was still a positive experience for the roster and one riddled with various victories as well as learning losses.
The event kicked off on Monday and ran smoothly much to the relief of the administrators that had been organizing it for months. The various construction projects riddled around the site of the invite had the potential to go awry and cause a great disruption in the flow of the season. This looming threat had been a constant worry for all the organizers, including head coach Bart Jeseritz.
“With so much of a weird circumstance with the construction around the facility, my main focus and hope was to just get through the tournament as soon as possible and on time,” Jeseritz explained.
Eventually when it came time for the event, all uncertainties clicked into place and everything ran according to plan.
“We were still able to invite all the teams we needed despite the restrictions and I thought we played really well, it turned out great,” Jeseritz recalled.
Once the event got rolling, the boys were eager to retaliate on unfinished business at every category from an earlier stage of the season. For sophomore Troy Shefsky, it was a bout with Lincoln Southeast’s freshman #1 singles player, Owen Brown. They had faced off only two weeks prior, with Brown winning in the closest match of the entire season. The two were even with a score of 8-8, with Troy dropping the tiebreaker and losing in frustrating fashion. When the opportunity came for him to right his wrong, Shefsky took full advantage, annihilating the underclassman in an astounding 8-1 blowout.
“Troy ended up getting one back against an athlete for (Lincoln) Southeast, which was for sure one of the most satisfying rematches to watch and experience on the day,” Jeseritz reminisced.
The second great revenge came in similar fashion, with the #1 doubles duo of seniors Ashton Rames and Owen Wahl struck back against their Lincoln Southeast counterparts. In their midseason match, the Lincoln crew cruised to an 8-3 victory, however on their home court, the Omaha duo narrowly avenged their early season loss with a score of 8-6. Jeseritz elaborated on what it meant to see his athletes make tangible strides against familiar foe.
“Pretty much every good team we could face later down the line was there, and it shows us we can be competitive with anyone, even those we might’ve struggled against in the past, which is exciting heading into metros and state,” Jeseritz described.
Regardless of what’s to come, the squad and their captain are optimistic about their chances to leave a mark on a state-wide scenery. A 6-6 overall record may not seem like anything to write home about, but the team continued to pull off impressive wins throughout the day without one of their best athletes in Haorong Li. The season is nearing its end as the boys prepare for their final matches prior to the metro and state competitions that are readily approaching in just a few short weeks. Whether they fail or exceed expectations, the theme of improvement on a team-wide scale is one to be more than thrilled about.
