Acorns lose first league match to Palma
Morgan Hill – The offseason nearly decimated the Live Oak boys tennis team.
Returning singles players, Danny Smith, Eric Matsumoto and Kevin Parsons will be looked upon by coaches Chris Yoder and Mickey Matsumoto to lead the way this season.
Freshman Jimmy Shedden will occupy the No. 2 singles slot for the Acorns. Shedden has been playing with Yoder for a few years and Yoder is looking to get some action out of him.
“He does have some experience under his belt,” said Yoder, who is also the director of tennis at Ridgemark. “He has a lot to prove as far as where he falls in the TCAL pecking order. There are a lot of good No. 2 players out there.”
“Only our top three or four guys have had any tennis experience,” added Yoder. “We’re looking to get a lot of matches our of our singles players.”
Live Oak’s goals for the season is to do their best and improve for next year. The biggest challenge for the Acorns will be having their new players exposed to varsity competition with little experience.
“They all understand it’s a transitional year for the tennis team. Next year there will be an influx of freshman tennis players from Britton,” said Yoder. “We just want to be competitive.”
In their first match of the season on Thursday afternoon, the Acorns fell to Palma, 6-1, at the Salinas Country Club.
Smith notched Live Oak’s only win in the matchup, defeating his opponent, 7-5, 6-2.
The Acorns No.1 singles player, Matsumoto, lost his match, but according to Yoder it was a close one.
“Mickey felt like it was a competitive match,” Yoder said.
Live Oak next hosts the strong Salinas Cowboys on Tuesday afternoon.
“I think Salinas is a contender for the league title. They had the most depth last year,” said Yoder. “I expect that match to be a character building experience.”
