COLUMN By DICK VanOLINDA The York Dispatch
They did, however, require four hours.
The Trojans and Fighting Irish are starting to make marathon matches a habit.
Last year, the darkness halted the match with the score tied, 3-3. It was finished the next day at Wisehaven Tennis Club with York Catholic pulling out a 4-3 victory.
This year, Suburban won by the same score in a York-Adams Division II showdown that bridged Monday afternoon and evening. Play began in daylight on a blustery day at Springettsbury Park and closed under the lights.
“It was a really close match,” Suburban head coach Mark O’Reilly said. “Last year, it came down to No. 2 doubles just like it did today. The scores of the last two sets in the No. 2 doubles match today were 6-2, 6-4, so that could have gone either way.”
Three matches, including both doubles, required the maximum three sets, and every other match was competitive.
How competitive? There were 161 games played in the five singles and two doubles matches. Suburban won 82 games and York Catholic won 79.
Michael Hogg, Nick McElhinny and Ben Lam earned singles points for the Trojans. McElhinny then teamed with David Lee at No. 2 doubles to secure the deciding fourth point by rallying for a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory.
“The first set, I was at the net, and it wasn’t working for me,” McElhinny said. “So I started to play back, and David played off that and closed on shots and took short balls.”
McElhinny and Lee are a first-year varsity doubles team, but the two seniors have been playing tennis together for four or five years.
“We’re really good friends, so we have really good synergy on the court,” McElhinny said. “He’s really good with his backhand and volleys, and I have a pretty pounding forehand. We both have good serves.”
Lee said that McElhinny’s forehand “kind of kept us in the match.
“His net game is usually good. Today was an off day, and we switched that around in the second set.”
Lee said the wind made it difficult to execute shots.
“I felt it the most during my singles match. It was pretty crazy, and it was probably the worst wind I ever played in.”
Suburban remained unbeaten in Division II at 4-0. The Trojans, who travel to defending champion Biglerville on Wednesday, are 8-2 overall. York Catholic is now 2-2 in Division II matches, and 4-3 overall.
“York Catholic beat us in my first two years of varsity, so we were looking to beat them this year,” McElhinny said. “It’s nice to have a really good season like this.”
Patrick Albright and Adam Hack gained singles points for York Catholic, and Albright teamed with Nico Mucci to win the No. 1 doubles match. Albright dropped the first set in his singles match, and he and Mucci also lost the first set in the doubles match before rallying for a victory.
“I felt we had a chance to win both of the doubles matches, but Nico and Patrick played really well,” O’Reilly said. “The two seniors (McElhinny and Lee) on Court 2, I thought they played really well under pressure. That was the difference in the match.”
Dick VanOlinda covers high school sports for The York Dispatch. He can be reached at dvanolinda@yorkdispatch.com or 505-5407.
