Sliced on Senior Night

Boys tennis takes on the LaPorte Slicers on Senior Night

Eric+Shrader+%2812%29+walks+on+to+the+tennis+court+with+his+family+on+Sept.+17+before+the+match+against+Laporte.+For+senior+night%2C+the+boys+received+embroidered+towels+and+each+gave+their+mother+a+bouquet+of+flowers.+

Eric Shrader (12) walks on to the tennis court with his family on Sept. 17 before the match against Laporte. For senior night, the boys received embroidered towels and each gave their mother a bouquet of flowers.

Jill Wilschke and Jillian Wilschke

Senior night– a night to remember, celebrate, and honor the hard work and dedication that seniors have contributed to the tennis team.

Prior to facing the LaPorte Slicers, Lake Central’s varsity and JV boys tennis teams recognized their seniors for their time spent on the team over the past years.

“Its tradition. [You celebrate] the past four years. Its kind of bittersweet; I’m happy I got here, but I’m kind-of sad I will not be here next year,” Thomas Ruzga (12) said.

One by one, the five seniors’ names were announced while walking to the court accompanied by their parents and family. Each mother received flowers and the senior boys received a towel with their names embroidered on them.

“My mom could not make it tonight, so it was awkward handing flowers to my dad,” Alex Pinkus (12) said.

After the celebration, the boys were eager to face LaPorte, especially Eric Shrader (12).

“I was more focused on the match [than senior night],” Shrader said.

The boys battled LaPorte for a win, but the Slicers lived up to their name. Stephan Sobek (12) and Chase Owczarzak (11) played doubles, but were sliced by LaPorte. They lost both of their matches with the same score of 4-6, which determined the outcome of the match. The Indians lost but did not go down without a fight. They came close to defeating LaPorte with a final score of 3-2.

“We played alright, but we could have played better. There were definitely some shots that we could have volleyed,” Sobek said.

Despite the loss, the boys kept their chins up – especially the seniors.

“[There was a lot of] reflection on the four years that I played on these courts [tonight],” Luke Oboy (12) said, “It’s been a fun four years.”