The victories have been scarce so far for the young and inexperienced Fruitport tennis team, but the potential has been evident, and the Trojans have demonstrated a determination to battle.
Junior Dominick Kooy certainly did on Tuesday, when he fought through a marathon match against Sparta’s Grayson Falconer at No. 4 doubles.
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Kooy won a very close first set 7-6, lost the second set 6-3, then engaged in a lengthy tiebreaker with Falconer that went on and on, because someone had to win by two points.
Kooy finally lost the tiebreaker and match 17-15, but it certainly wasn’t due to a lack of effort.
Unfortunately for Fruitport, none of the matches turned out to be victories in an 8-0 non-conference loss to Sparta.
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There were other pockets of determined play for the Trojans, however.
At No. 2 singles, Fruitport freshman Nathan Medema lost the first set to Sparta’s Oliver Jacques 6-3, then put up a tough fight before losing the second set 7-6.
Fruitport Coach Brad Busscher stressed that the team has potential but needs to improve.
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“Our night at Sparta felt like we kept getting in our own way, with so many mistakes that we made overall,” he said. “We need to clean those mistakes up before our next match and be more proficient on the court.”
The Trojans will return to action on Monday.
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