New season, same Schmit

Libby Arnold, Sports Writer

Eleven years ago, one Xavier athlete picked up a tennis racket and did not look back. Spending countless hours on the tennis court during the summer and on vacation will bring the best for the Xavier boys’ tennis team. Sophomore Matthew Schmit plays an important role.

“Matthew is very talented. One of his biggest strengths is the patience he shows when playing a match,” Head Coach Jim Potts said. “He does not always go for the big shots right away but waits for his opportunity.”

Schmit has been preparing for the 2019 season since last summer.

“I did tennis clinics at Elmcrest Country Club two or three times a week leading up to the season,” Schmit said.

Schmit serves the ball playing in a singles match at a meet at Kennedy High School. Kelly Schmit Photo.

That was not all Schmit did to prepare for the season. Most high schoolers spent their spring break relaxing and enjoying their time off of school; that was not the case for Schmit. He spent his spring break preparing for his upcoming tennis season.

“There were tennis courts at my resort in California,” Schmit said. “I played almost every single day.”

Not only is he a talented and dedicated player, but he is also a great role model to the four freshmen who joined varsity this year.

“Matthew comes to practice each day with a positive attitude,” Coach Potts said. “This, in turn, has a positive impact on the team, and in particular, the younger members of the team.”

One of Schmit’s goals this season is to make it to state with his doubles partner, junior Wesley Johnson.

“Playing doubles with Matthew is pretty fun. We have great chemistry and know each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Johnson said. “Matt is a great teammate; he pushes me to be better and keeps me motivated after a mistake.”

Schmit and Johnson did not end the season the way they wanted last year at districts, but they are hungry for another chance at qualifying for state.

“We pushed the match into a tiebreaker but came up short,” Johnson said. “Even though we lost, we learned a lot which we can use this year.”

The boys’ tennis team competes next on Friday, April 12 against Waterloo Columbus at Xavier High School starting at 4 p.m.