Matt asked Cameron to play the #1 singles position tonight as injuries on Bethany's team have made it challenging to maintain the same lineup throughout the season. Cameron has been flexible wanting to do what is best for the team, but definitely didn't mind the switch tonight as he actually prefers singles. He told me before the match that he knew nothing about his opponent, but felt pretty good about their chances as a team. Bethany had beaten Northwood 5-0 last year and were hoping for a similar score tonight.
Although the first set seemed to favor the consistency of the Panther player, we were impressed with how well Cameron kept his composure. He was struggling with his serve and several double faults hurt him early. Cameron hung in there, however, and soon found himself in a first set tiebreak. Much as he and Breece had at Westview, Cameron easily won the tiebreak. We were thrilled.
The second set was also extremely close as the game and set score didn't change much throughout. There were long rallies and a lot of deuce games. Cameron played very well and hit several nice cross court, forehand winners. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite enough as he fell short in the second set. Cameron and his opponent took full advantage of the ten minute break in between sets. While they were resting, we watched the end of the #2 doubles match. Both Noah and Gideon had won at #2 and #3 singles and #1 doubles were also going into a third set. We were hoping that Tristan and Emerson would win so that there wouldn't be any pressure on Cameron as he started the third. Thankfully, they obliged and we were extremely happy for the Bruins to pick up a key win this season over a sectional opponent.
Cameron's third set was even more intense than the first two. The boys rallied back and forth each taking a lead. Cameron stayed focused, played very well hitting some fantastic shots, and soon found himself with the score 5-4 in his favor. He had two set points to win. He did not convert on the first one, but took full advantage of the second winning the two and a half hour match. Cameron walked over to his bag after shaking his opponent hand and went down. His legs were cramping so bad that he couldn't stand any longer. It took a little while, some ice and a few Ibuprofen, but soon he was up and visiting with Andrew, the Bruins' former assistant coach. He had moved this year to New York and Cameron had really missed having him at the matches. Needless to say, he was thrilled that he had watched him tonight. We found out later that it was a good thing that Cameron won. Andrew had told his brother, Daniel, to let Cameron know at the end of the second set "That he'd better winner as he hadn't drove all the way from Rochester to watch him lose." Fortunately, Cameron was more than happy to honor his request.
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