PLANO:  The Varsity Boys Tennis team hit the courts on Tuesday afternoon, squaring off against Jesuit College Prep for their first action of 2022.  The Cardinals, coming off of a TAPPS 6A-D2 district championship in 2021, return most of their talent from last season.  Both of the Cards' top singles players, junior Jonas Aronsson and senior Jake Vo, and doubles players Aaron Keith and Ryan Ward will aim to repeat last year's success.  

John Paul II took a big step in the right direction yesterday, despite the cold and windy conditions at the East Sports Complex.  The Cardinals' top two singles dismantled their opponents with ease.  Aronsson won handily, 6-2, 6-0, as did Keith, 6-0, 6-2, who played singles for the first time after playing doubles for much of last season.  Jeff Abbot went the distance with his singles match, showing off some real mettle in a 7-5, 4-6, 6-10 loss.  Will Dawson also played two great matches, though came up short 6-0, 6-2 and 6-4, 6-2, and Alex Rossigno nearly upset his opponent in a 6-4, 6-2 loss.  

The duo of Aronsson and Keith also played as the number one doubles team for JPII last night, taking down the Rangers top pair 7-6(4), 6-1.  The Cards' number two doubles team of JuanCarlos Cruz and Jeff Abbott put on a show in their match, with both teams trading points, games, and sets in a 7-6(3), 6-7(6), 10-4 marathon.  But perhaps the best story of the night was sophomore Jackson Betz, whose back-and-forth singles match lasted more than two hours and resulted in a 6-4, 1-6, 10-2 victory for the home team.  

There is certainly plenty of optimism for the Cardinals heading into the 2022 season, and for a team who has consistently played well in district and state tournaments, expectations have never been higher.  After a promising start on Tuesday, JPII looks poised for another fantastic season.  The full team will host a "Cardinal Clash" intersquad tournament on Monday, January 17th before competing in the Anna Tournament on Tuesday, January 18th.  



Complete Results:
Singles
1 Aronsson, Jonas vs. Blanton, Dillon 6-2, 6-0 JPII
2 Keith, Aaron vs. Trigiani, Joey 6-0, 6-2 JPII
3 Cruz, JuanCarlos vs. Bervin, Robbie 6-0, 6-3 Jesuit
4 Abbot, Jeff vs. Abhu, Andi 5-7, 6-4, 10-6 Jesuit
5 Dawson, Will vs. Chen, PoShu 6-0, 6-2 Jesuit
6 Betz, Jackson vs. Jones, Liam 6-4, 1-6, 10-2 JPII
7 Dawson, Will vs. Abdu, Andi 6-4, 6-2 Jesuit
8 Betz, Jackson vs. Carillo, Alonso 6-2, 6-2 Jesuit
9 Rossigno, Alex vs. Bryarley, Henry 6-4, 6-2 Jesuit
10 Knepshield, Sawyer vs. Carillo, Alonso 6-0, 6-0 Jesuit
11 Truong, Donte vs. Mast, Nick 6-0, 6-1 Jesuit
12 Greer, Holden vs. Criscoe, Collin 6-1, 6-0 Jesuit
13 Knepshield, Sawyer vs. Jones, Liam 6-2, 6-1 Jesuit

Doubles
1 Aronsson/Keith vs. Blanton/Bervin 7-6(4), 6-1 JPII
2 Cruz/Abbott vs. Trigiani/Chen 7-6(3), 6-7(6), 10-4 JPII
3 Knepshield/Rossigno vs. Bryarley/Carillo 6-0, 6-2 Jesuit
4 Greer/Truong vs. Criscoe/Mast 6-2, 6-0 Jesuit