The Churchill County Greenwave tennis team is still finding its rhythm after a 13-5 loss against South Tahoe on Tuesday.
Though the team is still struggling to rise to the challenge of the league, coach Jesse Nuckolls remains hopeful, claiming the team of talent is already surpassing his expectations in their potential. “For us to be this close is a small victory for us,” said Nuckolls during the third set of the match, where four points would’ve meant a fourth set tie-breaker that the Wave needed for a chance to win. By the third set, the Wave was counting on a batch of wins from their singles matches on the court to tie the score, even as they performed “surprisingly well” in doubles, according to Nuckolls.
While sophomore Myles Getto and senior Eric Sabatino remain the strongest doubles pair on the team, said Nuckolls, taking their doubles match 6-0 in the second set, senior Wei Deng and sophomore Thomas Jamieson undoubtedly held the attention of the court as the final match of the day.
Deng and Jamieson, who were paired together, according to Nuckolls, to “shake things up a bit” lost no energy against Vikings sophomores Brian Schouten and Lucas Demsar, though the Wave were down 12-5 with no chance of winning. Even after every singles match of the pivotal third set went to South Tahoe, Deng and Jamieson battled at net point for point with commendable short returns with each team cheering on the sidelines for the spirited duo.
The Wave remains tied for third place with Incline, and their next match is a nonconference match at Spanish Springs on Saturday.