Entering the third week of the season, the Douglas boys' tennis team is finally up to full strength.
They flexed some of their muscle Tuesday in a 15-3 win over Incline as defending state champion James TenBroeck and Matt Williams, who forms part of the No. 1 doubles pairing with Matt Thomas, returned to the lineup after missing the first two weeks.
"Having James and Matt back in the lineup allows us to be competitive with every team in the league," coach Rod Smith said. "They specifically change the dynamics of our singles lineup.
"Freshman Pat Johnson moves from doubles to singles while having James back in the No. 1 singles slot gives us an excellent opportunity to win three sets every time he plays in a match."
TenBroeck went 2-0 in his season debut to improve to 48-3 in his career. Cody Tindel also went 2-0 and Pat Johnson, Matt Johnson and Tayler Christopher each picked up a win in the singled bracket.
On the doubles' side, Grant Mason and Shane Patton went 2-0, Thomas and Williams went 2-0, Williams teamed with Austin Ball for a win and Craig Stratton and Garon Athanacio went 2-0. Brothers Marco and Jack Gooding picked up Douglas' final doubles point.
"It's great to see Matt Williams and Matt Thomas playing doubles together again," Smith said. "Their high energy and athleticism makes them such a difficult team to play against."
GIRLS
The Lady Tigers also cruised past Incline, with an identical 15-3 score.
Amelia Ritger and Kari TenBroeck swept their three singles sets while Sarah Weaver went 2-1.
The starting doubles lineup, consisting of Katie Sawicki-Rochelle Seymour, Zoe VanderByl-Kelly Sonnemann and Chelsea Fent-Amanda Caras went a combined 6-0 through the first two rounds.
In the final round, Rose Lombino and Marissa Menicucci picked up a hard-fought 6-4 win.
"Both teams of Sawicki/Seymour and VanderByl/Sonnemann came from behind to defeat a very competitive No. 1 doubles team from Incline," Douglas coach Roger Rusmisel said.
"Sarah Weaver bounced back from a tough first round match with the No. 3 to win two sets at love."
"Rose and Marissa posted their first win and Amelia and Kari continued to post the points that put the team in a position to win matches."
