Recap

Rocky Mountain Rush Win Tight Match Against East Toronto Smash

Rush Women Outlast Smash in Thriller

This first game between the Rush’s Casey Rodgers and Alex Walker and the East Toronto Smash’s Jordann Vigna and Leigh Bradwell set the tone for the entire see-saw match between these two squads.

Rodgers and Walker let a four-point cushion (13-9) slip away late but were able to withstand the charge by the Smash to win on double freeze 15-14.

From first serve, both teams displayed incredible dinking and defensive skills, with the Smash taking an early 3-0 lead, including a great return by Bradwell that eluded the Rush. The Smash opened the lead back up to 5-2 after the Rush rallied well, and after some electrifying dinking rallies and great defense the Rush took an 8-6 cushion into side change.

The Rush kept the pressure squarely on the Smash after the break and were up 13-9 when Walker unloaded an overhand winner. However, Vigna would answer with a great forehand and the Smash would play great defense to cut the lead to 13-11.

After a Smash return found net to allow the Rush to go up 14-11, Bradwell and Vigna played staunch defense and returned a couple of excellent shots to get to double freeze at 14-14. The rally fell short, though, when the Smash put one into the net, giving the Rush a well-earned victory.

Smash Top Rush in Another Double-Freeze Tilt

Needing a victory to get all square after a great women’s game, the Smash duo of Dalbir Bhandal and Chris Alain flipped the script and just squeaked by the Rush’s Brett Forsythe and Sunny Buttar, 15-14.

Once again, the Smash leapt out to an early lead, courtesy of some fine dinking play and blazing returns by Alain, who smoked Forsythe to give the Smash a 5-3 lead. The teams exchanged a few points, with a notable “hot dog” return by a Bandal during one skirmish. The Smash kept up the early mojo, taking an 8-5 lead into side change.

The second stanza saw limited action to start out, but with the Rush leading 10-6, Forsythe returned the favor on Alain from an earlier tag, plunking the Smash player with a forehand bomb. Before long, the Smash extended the advantage to 14-11, however, the Rush weren’t quite done yet.

Bandal and Alain battled hard, keeping the Rush at bay as then dinked and smashed their way to double freeze. The two squads then couldn’t win on serve for six consecutive rallies, until the Smash forced the Rush to return one into the Selkirk net for another hard-earned triumph.

Rush Storm Back to Clip Smash in Mixed Doubles Contest

Another game, another double freeze opportunity. And in this one, unlike the previous men’s match, the Rush mixed doubles team of Brett Forsythe and Alex Walker did not fail to capitalize on a late comeback and a win at double freeze.

The Smash’s Chris Alain and Jordann Vigna were quite game in this contest, and with some astute shots and great defense, were able to tie it up at 4-4 when Alain – again opposing Forsythe – ripped a forehand his opponent couldn’t handle. The Smash later took an 8-7 advantage into side change, again after Alain smashed a forehand winner.

The second half began with some controversy, with Forsythe questioning whether another great Alain return wasn’t in fact long, making the score 10-8 Smash. Vigna then crushed a Dura ball to give the Smash an 11-8 lead, but then neither the two Smash could counter a Forsythe and Walker onslaught, who flipped the score to 13-12. Again, however, the controversy bug bit the Rush, who again questioned an Alain return for a point to knot things up.

The Rush took a timeout, dinked their way to a 14-13 lead and then were reeled in for another double-freeze nailbiter. This double freeze didn’t last too long, with Alain sending one that – to Forsythe’s delight — was counted long to give the Rush the triumph.

Rush Slip by Smash to Take the Match

As it should have been, the second mixed doubles match went to an exciting double freeze. And, like the previous mixed doubles tilt between the Smash and Rush, the Rush pair of Sunny Buttar and Casey Rodgers won it over Dalbir Bhandal and Leigh Bradwell, garnering the match victory too.

Knowing they needed a big win to go to singles tiebreaker, Bandal and Bradwell got it going quickly, both firing great returns to go up 2-0. Unfazed, Buttar and Rodgers fought back to go ahead briefly, thanks to some brilliant dinking. Dalbir, for his part, kept the Smash in it, hitting some vicious returns to put him and Bradwell into an 8-7 lead at side change.

At the start of the second half, Buttar evened things up with a wicked flick that hit Bradwell to tie it. The Rush then rolled to a 13-11 lead and looking for all intents and purposes to have a lock on the game and the match. But wait, after Rodgers found net on a return, Bradwell made her presence felt with a scorcher to tie it.

Two points later, the teams took this fourth and crucial game to a double freeze. This time, it took four separate serve breaks, until Buttar and Rodgers dinked their way to having Bradwell hit one out to send the Rush to victory.