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(ALEX HAVARDANSKY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Brodey Mills gets low to get after a ball Saturday, Aug. 2. Mills flipped the switch in his second mixed doubles match to help pull out a dominant 8-4 win. -
(ALEX HAVARDANSKY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Olivia Buckley at the service line Friday, Aug. 1. Buckley proved to be a steadying force for Graham’s mixed doubles team in their day two win. -
(ALEX HAVARDANSKY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Tyler Bryan takes a swing on a ball during his singles match Friday, Aug. 1. Bryan used a unique mix of power and quickness to overwhelm opponents. -
(ALEX HAVARDANSKY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Stacy Gonzalez takes a swing in her singles match Friday, Aug. 1. Gonzalez won her first singles match of the year 8-0. -
(ALEX HAVARDANSKY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Chris Reyes at the service line Friday, Aug. 1. Reyes was a star in his double match with Tyler Bryan capping his performance with a behind the back swing. -
(ALEX HAVARDANSKY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Hope Jones takes a swing at a ball Friday, Aug. 1. Jones and her teammate Jade Dospapas had formed a solid group in the girls doubles ranks.
The Steers and Lady Blues tennis teams were the first to open regular season action with matches against Mineral Wells and Krum this past weekend.
This weekend saw ups and downs for the varsity teams but also signs of growth.
From the jump Friday, Aug. 1, things got off to a bit of an unexpected start for the teams in Graham. While the meet with Mineral Wells was supposed to begin at 9 a.m. mother nature had other plans in the form of an hour rain delay.
This didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits however as the clouds eventually cleared and players hit the courts.
The boys doubles team of Brooklyn Tarsoaga and Keigan Garland got things off to a quick start with a dominant 8-1 win.
Most of the doubles teams won by wide margins, however the team of Chris Reyes and Tyler Bryan put on a show in their match.
They lost their first set and were trailing early in their second set but fought back to make it a competition again.
The team really found their rhythm in the middle portions of the match with Bryan using his power at the front of the net and Reyes using his precision to pull out the win over Mineral Wells with an 8-4 final score.
A true highlight play of that game was Reyes running to his left and hitting a ball behind his back to throw off Mineral Wells defense for a point.
Manjot Humpal and Gloria Silveira also got into a close matchup in their doubles competition but ultimately pulled out the win with a dominant final set where Mineral Wells only scored one point. The duo went on to win 8-6.
In singles play, Stacy Gonzalez was a welcomed return for the Lady Blues in her matchup. Gonzalez had limited practice time during the first week for Graham Tennis due to needing to clear her physical. However, her return to the court was marvelous.
Gonzalez showed complete control throughout the contest with no sign of worry, and manipulated the ball and the court like a conductor leading an orchestra.
She used both ends of the court to tire out her opponent in what was eventually a dominant 8-0 win.
However, there were also some tough losses on the day for Graham.
This mixed singles team of Brodey Mills and Olivia Buckley fought hard but ultimately came up short losing 8-4. Mills also lost his singles match 8-5.
Head coach Matt Birdwell remained faithful in Mills and Buckley’s abilities though and in terms of the mixed doubles match said it was just about taking time for them to find their chemistry.
Birdwell also said it was great as a whole to be back on the court in regular season play.
“It feels good,” Birdwell said. “I’m not sitting on the couch being bored anymore. I have something to do.”
Graham ultimately won the day 17-2.
Graham’s second day of regular season play Saturday, Aug. 2 was a bit of a bumpier one than the predecessor. The team played Krum and ultimately ended up losing on the day 11-8.
Despite this, there were definitely still bright spots to grow off of.
Perhaps the most encouraging sign was to see the mixed doubles team of Mills and Buckley pull out a dominant win against their opponents.
Things started off rocky for the pair once again as they trailed 4-3 and there were signs of frustration coming from Mills.
However, the boys player seemed to channel that frustration into success as the team cruised through the match from set four onward.
Mills got things back on track when a ball landed in the front court for Graham and he capitalized with a blast through Krum’s defense to pick up a set winning point, giving Graham a 5-4 lead.
Mills then responded with back to back front court points and found the open hole in the defense on another swing to pick up another set win giving Graham a 6-4 lead.
Mills capped off his performance with an ace at the start of set 7 which carried Graham all the way to a match win 8-4.
However, Mills’ dominance should not overshadow the success of Buckley either.
She was a steady presence for the team throughout the match at the service line picking up an ace.
She was also able to lobby pressure in the front court and the team really found its rhythm in this match.
After matches against Decatur and Stephenville, the team will pick up again with a meet at Brock at 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7.
