On Tuesday, May 7th, the Lakeview men’s tennis team traveled to Solon, Ohio to compete in this year’s sectional tournament. During the regular season, the men’s tennis team won the NE8 championship and finished with a record of 6-5. Looking forward to next year, the Bulldogs will need some players after losing seniors Luke Rider, Ty Goyzueta, Dylan Clements, and Michael Moats, all of whom play varsity.
The Solon section included the following teams; #1 Orange, #2 Hawken, #10 Gilmour Academy, #18 St. John, #20 Edgewood, #24 Lakeview, #27 Kirtland, #29 West Geauga, #31 Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin, #32 Ravenna, #35 Wickliffe, #42 Mentor Lake Catholic, #47 Kenston, #48 Jefferson Area, and #59 Andrews Osbourne.
The first match to go underway included Goyzueta. In the bracket, Goyzueta was granted one of the best draws on the team, facing off against Gavin Niehenke from Kenston. Goyzueta won the first set with ease 6-1. After picking up some momentum, Niegenke was right back in it. After some great rallies, Goyzueta took the match 2-0 defeating Niehenke 7-5 in the second set.
After being asked how it felt to get a first-round win, Goyzueta commented, “It felt amazing getting that first-round win. The win gave me momentum which is why I kept on winning. Making it pretty far meant a lot to me because it was my senior year, and I knew that could have been my last high school match ever”.
In Goyzueta’s second round, he faced off against Shaun Foley from Mentor Lake Catholic. In the first set, he defeated Foley 6-3 after a late comeback by Foley. In the second set, Goyzueta took it to 6-1 advancing the the third round. On his way to his match, Goyzueta started cramping up and didn’t know if he was gonna be able to compete. After help from his teammates, he said he was gonna try to compete. Goyzueta’s third opponent was Trent Unger from West Geauga. Goyzueta struggled after his injury and lost 6-2 6-2.
The second match for Lakeview included Moats, and Freshman Benton Beerbower who faced off against Jaylin Streit and Christian Barbian from St. John. In the first set, Lakeview battled back and forth against St. John. After countless deuce sets, St. John took the first match 6-4. After a relentless rally from St. John, they took the second set 6-0 defeating Moats and Beerbower 2-0.
When asked how he felt going into sectionals as a freshman, Beerbower commented, “It felt great being able to play at sectionals this year. I wasn’t supposed to play but Dylan ended up getting sick so I had to fill in. Being able to play gave me motivation and even gave me an idea of what sectionals look like for next year. I am extremely grateful I got that opportunity”.
The third match played included Schick, who faced off against the #1 seeded team in the tournament, Orange. In the first set, Schick fought hard, winning the first game. After countless games to deuce and some great shots by Ishan Bhatt, Schick was defeated 6-1. In the second set, Schick once again competed hard but Bhatt took the second set, defeating Schick 2-0.
The fourth match played included Rider, who had a first-round bye. In the second round, Rider faced off against Mentor Lake Catholic’s Nicholas Olenik. In the first set, Rider battled hard against Olenik but after several mistakes, Olenik took the first set 6-3. In the second set, Riders errors cost him the game, losing 6-2.
The fifth match played included Junior’s Lucas Redmond and Zach Aho. They faced off against Mentor Lake Catholic’s Connor Aurand and Robert Vidmar. After some great rallies by Redmond and countless smashes by Aho up at the net, they won their first match 6-1 and 6-1 advancing to the next round. They faced off against Gilmour Academy’s Brady Panteck and Alex Kish in their second round. After multiple close games, Gilmour takes the match 2-0; 6-4, and 6-2.
When asked how he felt at his first sectional tournament, Redmond commented, “Competing in my first sectional tournament felt great. I’m glad I was able to win a match at sectionals with all of the success I had this season. Last year I didn’t get to play since I was Junior Varsity but I improved a lot since last year”.
As the season comes to an end, The Bulldogs have accomplished so much this year, and have improved immensely since last year. The hard work that was put in showed this year, especially by taking home the Northeast 8 championship for the first time in over ten years. I wish all of the seniors luck for whatever their plans are after high school. If you are interested in playing tennis for the 24/25 season, please contact Coach John Terbovich.
