As the regular season draws to a close, the Mingus Marauders tennis team is jockeying for a playoff spot.
“I would like to have 10 wins like last season and I consider 10 wins a success,” Mingus coach Larry Lineberry said. “We lost our top player from last season and duplicating last year’s record would be a great result.”
With only three games remaining, Mingus is currently ranked 15th in the Division II state rankings.
Last season, Mingus ended the year ranked 16th.
It was a rough day for the Marauders on Tuesday, April 2, when Flagstaff defeated them 3-6.
“It was that close, Flagstaff is a good team, so credit to them for playing well,” Lineberry said. “We had our chances to come away with a victory but we did not convert on those opportunities.”
With the loss, Mingus fell to 7-3.
“A lot of the match came down to who managed the wind better that afternoon.”
On a windy day like the one on which the match took place, Lineberry was most impressed with who handled the elements better.
“Flagstaff was a little more consistent than we were on Tuesday, as we missed too many balls,” Lineberry said. “I was very impressed with their ability to manage the wind while playing with and against it.”
In comparison to other schools in Arizona, Flagstaff possesses a special ability.
“They practice in the wind just as much as us, so I imagine there was not any difference,” Lineberry said. “We typically have a little advantage against Phoenix schools but not with Flagstaff.”
The Marauders avenged their loss by defeating Dear Valley 6-3 on Thursday, April 4.
Mingus finished 4-2 in singles flights with wins coming from John Valentine, Jordan Finger, Ryan Russel and Jack Zahoudanis.
In the doubles flights, Valentine and Travis O’Donnal defeated Nicolas Mullet and Easton Peterson 8-4.
Zahoudanis and Russel defeated Deer Valley duo Tayler Walters and Andre Badiu 8-3.
With the win, Mingus improved to 8-3 on the season and 8-3 in sectional play.
At 8-3, the Marauders are right where Lineberry anticipated them at this point in the year.
“We lost to Lee Williams and Flagstaff in two close matches, so we could very easily be 9-1,” Lineberry said. “We are winning matches that [we] should win, so we are about where I thought we would be.”
“The hope was that victories over Flagstaff and Deer Valley would help Mingus qualify for state,” Lineberry said. “We still could, with an upset here or there, along with our win over Deer Valley.”
Lineberry believes the Marauders doubles must step up in order for the Marauders to hit their stride.
“Our doubles team has improved but I am not satisfied and neither are the players,” Lineberry said. “My overall goal for any team is having the players improve and each one has done that so far.”
“The players have been putting in the work to succeed so in that sense, I am very pleased.”
Lineberry believes Marauders junior Valentine has played very well lately as Mingus’ number two player.
“Against Flagstaff, John played his best match ever at the varsity level,” Lineberry said. “He was trailing deep in the first set but came back and ultimately won.”
“Of the players we have, John has made a tremendous leap at the two spot,” Lineberry said.
Valentine is currently the closest Marauder to qualifying for state this season.
“You could make a pretty good case for John qualifying from his spot,” Lineberry said. “It depends on how the rest of the season plays out.”
The Marauders return to the court on Monday, April 8, when Mingus faces the Betty H. Fairfax Stampede.
The match is slated to begin at 3:30 p.m.
Senior night for the Marauders is Tuesday, April 9, when Mingus hosts Notre Dame Prep.
