Columbus North senior Kevin Lin spent the past three years wondering if he would ever get the chance to play in the state finals. By winning the semistate against Castle on Saturday, Lin will finally have that opportunity.
One of the key players that helped Lin out was his freshman brother Nathan, who stamped the Bull Dogs’ ticket to the Boys Tennis State Finals for the first time since 2008 by getting the decisive third point in a 3-2 victory against the Knights.
Kevin Lin, who has played at No. 1 singles the past two seasons, technically would have gone to state as an individual since he is still unbeaten in the state tournament, but he is even more excited that Nathan and the rest of the team will be there playing with him.
"My goal coming into this year was to make it out of regional because I never made it past regional," Kevin said. "I never expected that we would advance all the way to state round, so it’s been great."
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Nathan was glad that he could help his brother reach that goal.
"Right after Kevin won, everyone was happy," Nathan said. "I knew that they were counting on the No. 1 doubles team (himself and Adam Saad) to win and finally finish it off and win the match."
Kevin began playing tennis in about the sixth grade, and Nathan started playing tennis when he was in fourth grade.
Nathan’s play at No. 1 doubles hasn’t disappointed coach Kendal Hammel after being asked to step into a huge role as a freshman.
"Nathan has done very well, and I really thought he would," Hammel said. "He has been hitting with Kevin for years, and he has been hitting with a lot of the top kids for years. He’s been doing lessons week after week. He has put a lot of time into it. I’m pleased with how he’s played overall, and I think he should be pleased, as well. Him and Adam have accomplished a lot this year."
Kevin has accumulated a 15-5 record at No. 1 singles. Nathan has amassed a 17-3 record playing with Saad at No. 1 doubles all season.
Nathan will enjoy the atmosphere of playing in his first state finals.
"Hopefully, everyone comes out and supports us really well," said Nathan. "The environment is probably going to be pretty loud, and both teams cheering as loud as they can after every point. It’s just going to be a really fun experience."
Kevin also played No. 1 singles during his junior season and played No. 1 doubles as a sophomore and played both the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles positions as a freshman.
Hammel saw a lot of qualities in Kevin that have made him one of the biggest pieces to the success of the team for this year.
"Kevin has been the leader for us and has played a lot of positions for many years," Hammel said. "He’s played singles and doubles and has had great results. He’s stepped up and improved as a singles player this year. That’s what you look for in guys that come on the team to advance and improve and develop and carry that same type of expectation for everyone else on the team."
Kevin’s time playing with the Bull Dogs is coming to a close. He says he has learned a lot during his time with the team.
"I have a lot of great memories with the coaches and the team and my matches. My experiences with my matches has helped me with my mental toughness," Kevin said. "I’ll be sad that this is going to be my last matches as a Bull Dog, but I’m happy about how far we’ve made it and I’m proud of this team."
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Boys Tennis State Finals
Admission: $5 per day
Friday at Center Grove
No. 14 Columbus North vs. No. 8 Park Tudor
No. 3 North Central vs. No. 23 Culver Academies
Friday at Carmel
No. 4 Floyd Central vs. No. 5 Center Grove, 3 p.m.
No. 1 Carmel vs. No. 2 Homestead, 3 p.m.
Saturday at North Central
10 a.m.: Semifinals
2 p.m.: Championship
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