On Oct. 13, the final game of the regular season and senior night, Issaquah Varsity Boys Tennis fought a very close match against the Bothell Wolves that came down to a final tiebreaker. Back-and-forth rallies played out as a crowd made up of mostly Issaquah supporters held their breaths. In the end, Bothell was able to sneak out with a massive come-from-behind win and beat Issaquah four games to three. For Issaquah, it was a resemblance to the disappointing season they have had this year; however, it served as a great learning experience as they now turn their heads to the postseason.
Kicking off the team’s senior night, Issaquah’s doubles team 2 with sophomore Jason Auffant and freshman Eliah Kim won with sets of 6-2 and 6-4. Senior Nikhil Vanama and his partner also secured a nice win with a score of 6-1 and 6-2. Yet, the overall team score remained even heading into the last match with a score of 3-3, as all attention now shifted to the most critical match: singles 1. Junior Gage Ulitsch, the top player for Issaquah, started off the first set in a hole of 5 points to 4, yet he managed to come back and take 3 straight points to win the first set of the match 7-5. The next set was a lot tougher for Ulitsch. As the light posts turned on, set 2 was played out. Ulitsch was able to go out to an early lead of 2-1 games and he stayed in front with a 3-2 score. However, his Bothell opponent managed to pull ahead 4-3 and ultimately win the set 6-4. With the sets now tied after 2, the tiebreaker was on. First to 10 points for the win. At this point, both Ulitsch and his opponent were tired from the long rallies and each had to keep on fighting. In the end, the Bothell opponent was able to pull through with a 10-6 win to end the night in victory for Bothell.
Despite the tough loss, Head Varsity Coach Nico Hakes complimented his team’s efforts: “They did great; they battled; they never gave up, which has been a common theme this season.” Additionally, junior Arya Edula reflected on the season saying, “Definitely wasn’t what we wanted but we had a lot of fun, and we played some great matches.” In a tough season with many defeats, Issaquah Boys Tennis found resilience, and although it did not pay off in the end, they are still looking optimistic. Senior player Nikhil Vanama said how it “was a tough season losing seven seniors, but there are still promising things coming.”
Tough loss aside, the Issaquah also celebrated their senior night on the last game of the regular season. Five seniors, including Vanama, will be graduating next year. Coach Hakes says, “The five of them are going to be really difficult to replace, but I’m always excited for the next season to see how the underclassmen progress and what new players are willing to step up into new roles.” Some of those exciting players are already varsity members, such as Auffant and Kim, as they bring a new hope for the season next year. Overall, Issaquah’s match against Bothell reflected the season overall with disappointing finishes, but great learning experiences and test of resilience that will build up the team to make a run in the KingCo Playoffs this year, and hopefully, a better outcome for the season next year.
