Copper Canyon boys tennis defeated Camelback 9-0 in their first match after spring break.

Copper Canyon came in after spring break and they did not take it easy on the Spartans.

With five games taking place at once one shot that was hard to miss was from Copper Canyon player Victor Espinola. A missed hit that could have easily been a missed point left everyone talking.

“I could've easily given up but I didn’t. I ran and I got the shot between my legs, I have never done that before and it worked out pretty good,” Espinola said.
 

Espinola continued to explain that the shot that he took left him surprised as well, but he knew that it was either trying to get the point or miss it all together.

“Me trying not to lose a point instead of just leaving it,” Espinola said.

After taking advice from his coach, Espinola started noticing the game begin turning into his team's favor. As Espinola continue to communicate with his teammate in doubles they realized that their game strategy was turning out in their favor.
 

“I started placing my ball to get them to start running, I played safe but I also played to win,” Espinola explained.

Communication is a big part of what Copper Canyon tennis coach Richard Abrams is trying to implement in the team this year.

“Communication is the main focus this year, talking after every single point and every comment should be positive and strategize between every point,” Abrams said.
 

Camelback No. 1 singles player Ervin Vasquez was not eligible to play. Camelback boys tennis coach Marlon Rhymes knew that this game would be a little off because Vasquez was not playing.

Rhymes noticed in the doubles that the players who he had move to be the No. 1 and 2 players were not the best choice.

“Being off over spring break it hurt us, a couple of this matches came down to the battle,” Rhymes said.

 

Both coaches agreed that spring break harmed the players in their performance. Since they were not playing with the potential that they had been playing prior break.
 

Rhymes explained how he can tell how different players who practice during spring break and those who didn’t.

“Half of them played during spring break and half of them didn’t and the ones who did play, played competitive today,” Rhymes said.
 

One of those players was Camelback tennis player Juan Landeros who surprised Rhymes in his one-on-one play against Copper Canyon's No. 2 player.

 

Landeros kept in mind throughout the game what Rhymes always tells the team, ‘let the other player make the mistakes.’ That played in his favor for half of the game, as Landeros had the lead.

“The mistakes he made helped me, it gave me the points,” Landeros said.

 

All of the games played had the same ending and Rhymes will go back to the basics and the fundamental to get the Spartans back on track.

 

“Rome was not build in a day,” Rhymes said.