Somers Loses a Close One to Carmel

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With six matches completed at the Somers High School tennis courts, the tally versus Carmel stood tied. Three a piece, the outcome hinged on Matthew Searles and Jayden Ferry. “I was nervous,” said Ferry, and the razor thin outcome made the point.

The Somers duo lost a 9-8 tiebreaker, but Searles took the weight of the disappointment in stride. “I’m just here to have fun,” assured the junior.

The great attitude aside, there was still plenty of good Somers tennis, and for the Tuskers, the proficiency began at the number one spot. Sam Giliberti slugged out a 3-6, 6-1, 10-4 win. “I was just playing as consistent as I could,” said the sophomore.

Of course, steadiness wasn’t there to start so Giliberti did a reset for set two. “I got really focused” he said.

The elements didn’t help either. So adjusting became part of his thought process. “I was really paying attention to the wind, trying to figure out where the ball was going to drop,” said Giliberti.

At the same time, his primary tool was a little rusty. “My forehand is my strength, but I didn’t really show it today,” he lamented.

So the Tusker compensated by hitting his spots, which is already in the playbook.”You got to think a couple of steps ahead and recognize the patterns,” revealed Giliberti.

One court over, Caleb Carpenter followed suit. After a pair of 6-4 sets, he also won in a tiebreaker. “I was ecstatic,” said the senior. “I couldn’t think of a better feeling.”

Along the way, he figured out his opponent. “A lot of times when he came to the net, he messed up,” explained Carpenter.

His strong serve helped in that regard, and a high toss is the way he peaks. “It gives me time to process where the ball is and helps me calculate where my serve is going to go,” Carpenter said.

A win under his belt, the Tusker seeks a stampede the rest of the way. “I want to keep winning singles matches,” he clarified.

On the other hand, Sam Polner stayed contained with his 6-2, 6-3 win. “I was very consistent,” said the senior.

And going with his strength as a player, he acknowledged the limitations of his backhand. “When I hit my forehand, I’ve got to make it count,” said Polner.

On the double’s side, Tyler Phillips and Joseph Rydzewski were finished first. Thus, losing a 10-6 tiebreaker still had Rydzewski identifying the upside for the team. “We’re good at communication,” he said.

The synergy aside, Rydzewski’s ability to get to the ball plays complement to his teammate. “They’re not expecting me to get it. So it makes an easier winning shot for him,” said the junior.

Phillips agreed. “I can be pretty powerful with my shots,”

At the net, Phillips expressed confidence too. “I’m pretty good at hitting the ball where I want,” said the junior.

Of course, the loss had Phillips pursuing the way forward. “We need more consistency, because sometimes we get a little too excited,” he said.

A 1-6, 3-6 loss also had Colin McGee looking to tweak his game with Teddy Richards. “We did have some communication issues,” said the Tusker.

Their first time together, the duo still had their moments. “We had some aces and long volleys,” McGee assured.

Together, they were also able to hit to their opponents’ weak spots, but not as frequently as needed, McGee still stayed up. “You can’t really think about if you lose that it’s a terrible game,” he said. “You have to find what you did well and have a good time.”

Just the same, Mark Mundis and Jacob Anderson would have liked a win and were in position to take the match with a 3-2 Somers lead. “It was pretty intense, we just lost the tiebreaker,” said Anderson.

Still, the two elephants match up well. “I like to play in the back, and he likes to play in the front,” said Anderson.

They also have history. “We don’t get mad at each other, and we have no stress at all while we play,” said Anderson of their volleyball/tennis connection.

Mundis was on the same page. “We’ve played so many sports together that we just know what the other person is thinking,” said Mundis.

The second set definitely bore fruit. “We put the ball in play and let the other team make the mistakes,” said the doubles’ player.

The third time was not the charm, though. “It didn’t work out,” he said, and all Somers could do was look forward.

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