Huskies Continue to Build New Tennis Dynasty, Win Fifth Straight

Drew Neils wasted little energy in cruising to a 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 1 singles, and enough of the rest of the Flint Hill tennis team followed suit to give the Huskies a 4-3 win over Georgetown Prep on Monday. The top three singles and the No. 3 doubles all won handily while two of the three losses were up for grabs until the end.

Under first-year head coach Steve Spratt, Flint Hill is back in position to make a run at another state championship. Two consecutive losing seasons followed a string of three titles from 2006 to 2008. Monday’s win moves Flint Hill to 11-3 on the year with four matches remaining before the MAC tournament gets under way next week.

Neils finished his match in exactly 40 minutes. Blake McGee wasn’t on the court much longer, winning the No. 4 singles 6-1, 6-0. Evan Harrington and Ben Hillman took the No. 3 doubles 6-3, 6-2, and Jesse Nayak ensured the win with a 7-5, 6-1 decision at No. 2 singles.

Nayak seemed willing to settle for trading serves in the first set until a break in the decisive game appeared to give him the motivation he needed to close out the second set efficiently. The lack of energy appeared to be contagious, the No. 1 and 2 doubles each were in position to take their matches but failed to deliver.

“He was just feeling the guy out,” Spratt said of Nayak. “I think he believed all along that he was [the] better [player]. It was just a matter of when he wanted to play a little harder.”

While Spratt was never concerned the final outcome was in question as the four winning courts established their dominance early, he was critical of the sometimes listless effort.

“I don’t think we were in any danger of losing the match, but you still want everyone to play well,” he said. “Some of the guys have got to show a little more passion, a little more energy out there. They’ve got to get going a little bit.”

Much of those comments was directed at the No. 1 singles team of John Marosek and Roberto Herrera, who were up a break at 3-2 in the third set before dropping four straight games and losing 6-2, 3-6, 3-6. Both players expressed frustration on the court, slamming their racquets and drawing a scolding from Spratt. Herrera was often able to turn that around, immediately following up unforced errors with ferocious winners on several occasions.

Still, a lack of assertiveness at the net ended up costing them.

“They’ve just got to push a little harder and be a little more aggressive in coming to the net,” Spratt said. “Usually the team that takes the net away is going to win.”

The Huskies have a busy schedule this week, hosting Maret on Wednesday before traveling to Sidwell Friends on Thursday. They again have matches on consecutive days next week to close out the season, taking on Highland on Monday and Potomac on Tuesday. Flint Hill’s combined record against those teams in 2008, the last title run, was 25-5, including a 7-2 win over Potomac in the championship game. However, the Huskies have won just nine of 63 individual matches played against those opponents in the last two seasons.