EK downs Healthplex 4-1

Easy Killer improved to 2-1 on the season after taking 4 out of 5 courts from the Healthplex on Saturday. The Healthplex is in our flight every year and they are always fun to play. They are not the powerhouse in our flight (nor are we it seems) but they do have a good group of guys who enjoy themselves when they play. (I enjoy myself too… as long as I win).

 A thank you for this past match goes out to Joe Sassa who had a great fight at #1 singles, to Mitch Reading for his 2nd straight win of this young season, to Tom Faith/Ed Daou for their 2nd win together and to Hap Phouthavongsa & Mel Navea for combining and playing well.

We have our next match against Great Valley on Saturday, May 23rd (Memorial Day weekend) at 9am at Great Valley HS. GV advanced to districts last June after avenging their loss to us earlier in the 2008 season. We owe them but I won’t exactly be taunting them as they look on paper to be the team to beat yet again. But, that’s why they play the matches.

I am happy that our team has responded from a mid-Spring slumber. We have started to make some noise and practice attendance is improving (we had 14 last night).  Another comment on our flight, The Drunken Fools and us used to compete for Districts. Then came GV. This year the West Chester Aces and Kinetix have certainly announced their presence with some nice wins. We have to be well prepared to win each week and there is no room for undedicated play. The season is short and commitment is paramount. I have long realized that the key to Mixed doubles is fixed partners. I have come to learn that axiom applies to Men’s doubles too. With the level of parity in the league today, two players who are a little better than their two opponents who play regularly together will lose. It used to be true (or seemed so) that two great doubles players made a great doubles team. Now, if you don’t match up deuce & ad players, have a steady and an aggressive partner, a workable strategy for coming to net and the ability to communicate and signal – then you will probably lose to a team that has addressed these fundamentals. What separates the good teams from the best teams is the ability to analyze during the match and adjust to cover your weaknesses and attack your opponent’s vulnerabilities. A big part of this is mental ability to stay focused and never give up. In years past I saw lots of doubles teams discouraged and frustrated after a bad first set. Now it seems like most teams are ready for a fight and they don’t go away easily.

It’s on to GV. We will fight – we promise that. The important thing is to have fun and the rest comes down to the work we’ve done to prepare. Lets see if we can give GV a good match.