2007-2008 Boys Tennis Season
Name of Head Coach: Dan Gibson
Number of years coaching this sport at Villa: 1
Name of Assistant Coaches: Dina Gibson
Name of students participants/roster:
#1 Singles - Stephen Love
#2 Singles - Alex Ross-Stuart
#3 Singles - Deuce Gibson
#1 Doubles – Alexander & Marius VanMelle
#2 Doubles – Hawken Lord & Robin Brundage
Record: 7-6
Records set/Highlights so far this season:
Winning the consolation round of the conference tournament. Our three oldest players were not available and we won the 5-0 with 3 freshman, 2 eighth & 2 seventh graders
Beating Dixie at home 3-2
Beating St. Henry at home 3-2
2006-2007
We were in transition at the start of the season with the boys’ tennis team since we graduated six seniors last year.
Our returning players were Senior Charlie Lotz, Villa’s– Co-Valedictorian will be attending U. Pittsburg, Juniors Stephen Love & Alex Ross-Stuart and Freshmen Alexander Van Melle. We added seniors Ben Osterhues attending UK, Evan Bryan who will be at Thomas More and Kyle Cunha attending U. Tennessee. Two 8th graders, Hawken Lord and Brent Webster headed the JV team plus 7th grader Dylan Chauvin and two 6th grade boys Deuce Gibson and Marius van Melle.
Our overall regular season team record was 4- 9. Our first losing season since 1999, however, individual players made great strides with their tennis. We were runner-up in the Conference III Tournament winning against Bellevue and losing to Calvary. Also our #1 Doubles Team Charlie Lotz and Stephen Love seeded sixth, caused an upset in the Ninth Region Tournament beating the #3 seeded team from Beechwood in three sets, earning an opportunity to go to the State Tournament. They lost in their first round in Berea against a seeded team, but they were certainly proud of their accomplishments to get to that point.
We lose four seniors to graduation this year making plenty of room for the JV players to move up to the varsity team. This year they were all exposed to what it will take to capture titles and awards and personal satisfaction all at the same time learning and enjoying a sport like tennis that you can take into adulthood to play. As a coach there is so much satisfaction gained when I have a player who has never played before and I have an opportunity to teach them the game of tennis.
Without the help of parents it would have been impossible to coach both the boys and girls teams simultaneously. Thanks to Patti & Tim Love, Mike Bender, Dan Gibson & Brian Nester
Blue Lightning Award – Charlie Lotz
MVP Award – Stephen Love
Most Improved Player Award - Alex Ross-Stuart
2005-2006
The team had 14 players sign up to play this season. Six of the players were seniors, the last of a group who signed up as 6th graders seven years ago. This year’s tennis program saw the largest number of players graduate. Next year will be a rebuilding year for the program, where students from 6th through 8th grade will be invited to join the junior varsity team and the stronger players will be moved up to the varsity team.
The Boys tennis Team were very successful against Northern Kentucky schools during the regular season losing only one match which was against CovCath, to end with a record of 13-1. VMA played two schools from Louisville – Christian Academy and Trinity - where we lost to both teams and ended the season 13-3. For the fourth consecutive year Villa has won the Conference III Championship with a record this year of 6-0.
In the Ninth Region Tournament the team had a very strong showing with Andrew Kenney seeded #7 in singles; Charlie Lotz in singles; Michael Schuh & David Love seeded #6 in doubles and Matthew Bender & Ben Fotsch had the #1 seed in doubles.
Matthew & Ben were the eventual Ninth Region Doubles Champions beating CovCath in the finals 6-3, 6-0. These two players are the first VMA boys to win a regional title. Because of their decisive win over CovCath in the finals the two players secured the Regional Runner-Up Trophy for the VMA team beating out Dixie Heights H.S. This the second consecutive year the VMA Boys Tennis Team has won the Regional Runner-Up Trophy, both times losing to CovCath. VMA’s #1 Doubles Team was the school’s only State Qualifiers. They won their first match handily 6-0, 6-1 and lost their second match in a gripping three set match 3-6, 6-3, 3-6.
Ben Fotsch was awarded VMA’s Blue Lightning Award; Matthew Bender received the Most Valuable Player Award and Charlie Lotz received the Most Improved Award. Ben Fotsch & Matthew Bender have been selected for The Enquirer All-City Tennis Team because of their accomplishment at the Regional Tournament.
The parents of all the players worked with me throughout the season, assisting me when I had to split my time between the boys’ and the girls’ teams, helping transport the team, especially the younger players to matches, and much more. Without their support it would have been impossible to accomplish the task to coach two teams simultaneously.
