MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Four points away from a Class A/AA state tennis championship, Notre Dame junior John Dorris finally started to show some emotion.
“I did start to get a little nervous,” he admitted later.
He recovered, however, and was able to main control for a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Pearl-Cohn’s Kyle Burton Friday at Old Fort State Park, earning Notre Dame its first boys’ tennis state championship since 1964.
In Division II-AA, Baylor’s Carlos Cuevas and Alex Cooper held off teammates Michael Goldstein and Aditya Rali 7-5, 6-7 (7-5), 6-3 to attain the doubles title.
“It was a tough match,” Cuevas said. “It made a little easier because we’re teammates, but at the same time we both wanted to win.”
Added Cooper: “We would have rather have had the team title, but this is good. We prepared all season for this and we’re happy to have it.”
Dorris was calm and collected throughout, even after a rain delay that stopped the match for an hour and a half. He had just won the first set, then claimed a big break to go up 4-2. Both players held serve and Dorris finally got a match point, slamming home an overhead lob for the win.
“I was just trying to keep the ball in and wait until he made mistakes,” Dorris said. “I didn’t change much during the match — just tried to keep the ball in. I didn’t think I would get this far, but I’m really happy about getting the win.”
Said Notre Dame coach Anne Ricksecker: “John just stayed focused and adjusts as he needs to. He plays a smart game and has the shots to back it up.”
Ricksecker was equally pleased by the Irish’s first boys’ state singles title in 46 seasons.
“It’s always exciting to see history in the making,” she said. “He has made history for the school and is the epitome of what Notre Dame is all about. He’s always gracious and it’s a tremendous honor.”
