The Rams came out looking lethargic on a beautiful day at Herndon. Might have been spring break fever. And with a Hornet team seriously contending for the regional playoffs, it was nail-biting time for the coach. However, in the end, they continued to play grind-it-out tennis and came home with a 6-3 victory.
The match began with the top-four singles matches all down breaks of serve. Tim Ferrell was again battling Philip Nelson, one of the top players in the state. Ferrell held his first serve but it was another eight games till he won another, going on to lose 10-2 (a one-game improvement from last match). However, at the bottom of the lineup, Dillon Meyer grabbed a 7-1 lead over Willie Creech and went on to win 10-4 to even up the match. Jacob Schreiman followed him off the court closely with a 10-5 win. The sophomore got out to a 5-2 lead but had a small let down allowing his Hornet opponent to even the score. However, he finished strong, winning the final five games.
Senior David Smiley at No. 4 exchanged breaks of serve and got down 4-2. However, he finished strongly, taking eight of nine games to take the match, 10-5. David really hustled in a number of points, turning seemingly lost points into winners, which seemed to discourage Chris Czerwinski of Herndon. Czerwinski was solid from the ground but his volleys were suspect and the Ram brought him in to win points.
With Robinson now up 3-1 in singles, attention turned to the second and third courts where Aaron Christian and Michael Cable struggled. Christian fell behind 5-1 but reeled off four straight games to pull even at 5-5. Josh Albertson, a lefty, was solid off the ground, and being about 6-foot-3, also won a lot of points on overheads. However, with the Rams’ comeback, Albertson's confidence began to wane and started missing volleys and consistency from the baseline. Christian's tenacity and hustle created openings and he streaked through five straight games to rack up the win, 10-6.
At No. 3, Michael Cable seemed unfocused at the beginning, trying to hit Daniel Goldman off the court. Goldman's game was to keep the ball in play and he was soon up 4-1 and 5-3. Cable settled down and played more consistently and took a 7-5 lead. However, his impatience and the determination of his Hornet opponent allowed the Hornet to take an 8-7 lead. Cable was reminded to play a steadier game and won the last 3 easily to clinch the victory for the Rams, putting their record at 7-0 for the season.
In doubles, Ferrell and Smiley fell to Nelson and Albertson, 8-3. Christian teamed with Meyer to win 8-3. The last match had Ted Diamond and Dayton Coupland playing Herndon's No. 3 team and giving them a battle before succumbing, 8-6.
The Rams now get spring break week off but come back to three matches in three days to finish the season.
— Robinson tennis coach Paul Fisher