Jay netters fall to Tigers

First-year Jay County High School tennis coach Scott Miller said he’s seen improvement in the play of the Patriots, it just hasn’t been able to translate into victories just yet.
The Bluffton Tigers handed the Patriots their fifth consecutive loss Thursday, beating JCHS 5-0.
“All in all I feel like the guys are improving,” said Miller, whose team has fallen to 1-5 (0-2 Allen County Athletic Conference) since a season-opening win Aug. 26 against Union City, including a 4-1 loss to the Tigers on Aug. 30 in the Muncie Central Invitational. “When you look at the scores and you look at what the guys are doing on the court … the scores are not where we want them to be but the things they’re doing on the court are exactly what I’ve asked them to do.
“I feel like we’re getting better.”
Bluffton picked up its first win of the match at No. 2 singles, as Grant Prible beat Jay County senior Alex Krieg. The 6-2, 6-2 loss for Krieg was an improvement from the last time the two played, when he wasn’t able to win a game.
Zach Pryor of Jay County also lost 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1 singles to Mitchell Kuhlenbeck. Pryor, who lost 6-4, 6-2 the last time the two met, fell behind quickly in the opening set 5-0 because of unforced errors. The Jay County senior was able to take the next two games before dropping the set.
“What we’re looking at doing is our approach to the match needs to change,” Miller said. “We want to win points in three hits. We don’t want to play a long rally.”
Those long rallies, Miller said, are creating unforced errors for the Patriots, which is something every coach wants to minimize. But, Miller added, his team will have to get used to those lengthy points and force the opponent into making those mistakes that have cost Jay County for much of the season thus far.
“Too often right now we’re trying to be too fine with the ball,” he said.
The Patriots’ No. 1 doubles team of Adam Jutte and Jay Houck bounced back from a rough outing Monday against South Adams — they lost in straight sets 6-0, 6-1 — but still fell to Reggie Garrett and Collin Barker, 6-1, 6-3.
In game one of the second set with Jutte serving, the JCHS duo fell behind after the first point when Jutte watched his shot sail past the baseline. It got the lead 30-15 on an error by Garrett and a Houck forehand winner they slipped between the Bluffton players. The two squads traded the next two points before Barker’s shot missed wide, giving Jay County the opening game.
Bluffton won the next three games, and the Patriots took game five, making it 3-2 in favor of the Tigers. Jutte and Houck kept it close, splitting the next two, but Garrett and Barker were able to put the match away.
“They’ve had some hiccups,” Bluffton coach Robert Vanderkolk said. “They’re going to have that … you’re playing some good teams at (No. 1) doubles night in and night out. When they get it figured out, they’re going to be a dominant team.”
Alex Clark, the Patriots’ No. 3 singles player, got the only win the last time the two teams played. However, it was against a different Bluffton lineup. Thursday, Clark battled with Aaron Sturgeon — a former doubles player for the Tigers — but fell 6-4, 6-1.
Clark, who is the only Patriot with multiple wins this season, had a 4-2 lead over Sturgeon in the first set, but wasn’t able to seal the victory as Sturgeon won four straight games. Once he had dropped the first set, Clark couldn’t regain momentum in the second set, losing 6-1.
“(He) just couldn’t quite get things rolling in the positive direction after having that lead,” Miller said. “Then, the mental game sets in (and) you can’t get over the fact you had the lead.”
At No. 2 doubles, Garrett Rodgers and Sok Vormohr lost to Mitchel Drew and Hunter Stoller, 6-0, 6-1. The Patriot tandem needed 10 games to get its only win of the match.
“They kind of fell back a little bit,” Miller said of Vormohr and Rodgers, who battled in a three-set loss Monday against South Adams. “They had a good match Monday night and they struggled a little bit (Thursday).”