By By STEVE MORRISON / Niles Daily Star
NILES – A smiling, but modest look on the face of coach Dave Sidenbender gave away his inner satisfaction after his Brandywine boys' tennis team had sealed its first win over Coloma 7-1 on Thursday evening at Plym Park.
"We've got to continue to improve, and we'll do it. I like the enthusiasm (shown by his players)," he said.
For the second day in a row Jake Harris won in singles, by identical scores of 6-4, 6-4; but he was steadily tested by his rival Coloma's Tony Hiler. Hiler had a 4-3 lead in the second set only to fall to Harris's steady concentration.
"It was close all the way!" declared an exuded but exhausted Harris.
After losing his first set 6-1 Trey Brenner came roaring back to defeat the Comets' Nathan Conrad 6-4, 6-3, with tenacious returns, in a series of long volleys.
Brandywine' Travis Bakeman came back twice to tie Travis Steinhoff in winning his first set 6-3, then polished off his win 6-3 in the second set.
Coloma's Kyle Hauch won the only point of the day for his team, besting Dan Whitney.
In doubles, Coloma gave the best that it had in two of four matches.
Zac Edquist, with fine short work in front of the net, and some great saves by Shane Bankston, in the backcourt, enabled the 'Cats to defeat the Comets' duo of Brandon DeFord and Patrick Fowler in a long standoff, 6-1,6-4.
DeFord and Fowler had come back to close to 5-4 before Bankston and Edquist won the match.
Tyler Weeks and Justin Palmer were locked up in the longest battle of the doubles matches. With the score tied 6-6 in the first set, they engaged in a topsy turvy exchange of points to pull out the tie breaker 10-8.
Coloma's Austin Guess and Dathan Tenter simply never recovered from Weeks's and Palmer's continuous bombardment in the first frame and fell easily 6-2 in the second set.
Dan Blank and Kevin Muntz, as well as Dan Reidenbach and Chris Brady, easily won their doubles contests against their Coloma opposition.
Brandywine…7 (1-2)
Coloma…1 (0-1)
Singles
1. Travis Bakeman (Br) d. Travis Steinhoff 6-3, 6-3; 2. Kyle Hauch (Col.) d. Dan Whitney 6-2, 6-1; 3. Trey Brenner (Br.) d. Nathan Conrad 6-1, 4-6, 6-3; 4. Jake Harris (Br) d. Tony Hiler 6-4, 6-4
Doubles
1. Shane Bankston/Zac Edquist (Br) d. Brandan DeFord/Patrick Fowler 6-1, 6-4; 2. Tyler Weeks/Justin Palmer d. Austin Guess/Dathan Tenter 7-6, 6-2; 3.Dan Reidenbach/Chris Brady (Br) d. Rob Bahr/Javin Mitchell 6-1, 6-2; 4. Dan Blank/Kevin Muntz (Br) d. Daniel Parrigin/Ryan Anderson 6-1, 6-1
Records
Brandywine 1-2, Coloma 0-1