On Wednesday, something happened to Dakota Willey and the Nature Coast boys tennis team that hadn’t all season. They lost. It took a private school out of Tampa with a traditionally stout program, Jesuit, to finally hand the Sharks their first loss of 2016, 7-0. Willey, their senior No. 1 singles player, also went down for the first time, falling to Gantt Meredith, 6-1, 6-1.
“You never like to lose. But it’s not a big deal,” Willey said. “It happens to everybody sometimes. I’ll move on and learn from it.” In his final prep campaign, Willey doesn’t have much reason to fret. Always a solid player for the Sharks, going a combined 37-18 in singles action his first three seasons, he has emerged as their clear No. 1 this year. He finished up the regular season this week with a 15-1 record in singles play, 12-2 in doubles.
“In singles, he has played great,” Nature Coast head coach Tom Brown said. “He has had a couple of tight matches and he was able to pull them out. He has taken advantage of his opponent a little bit, and I think he has confidence going into districts. He has worked really hard to get where he is. It’s nice to see it paid off.
“I think he has been able to be more offensive and dictate style of play. He has been playing a little more aggressive, put his opponent on the defensive.”
“I can’t complain. It has been a good season so far. But I still have a lot of work to go. The season really starts next week with districts,” Willey said. “I’ve played OK, not my best. But I haven’t played poorly in too many matches. I still have room to improve.” Willey has played the game for six years, picking it up at the urging of his mother, who wanted him to become involved in a sport. Tennis was the one that struck a chord.
“I like the individual aspects of it,” Willey said. “It’s only you on the court and you’ve got to figure out everything. It’s all on you. You’re held accountable for everything.”
He has steadily worked his way up the Sharks’ lineup, splitting time at No. 1 last year with his then doubles partner, Conner Schwefringhaus. Those two won a district title and reached the state semifinals at No. 1 doubles.
With Schwefringhaus graduated, Willey was set up to take the lead and has embraced that role, both on and off the court. “I’ve definitely been a more complete player,” Willey said. “Even from last year, my junior year, I had a decent season but I could definitely improve upon that. I think I’m a little more mature and confident in myself.
“I expected to have a decent season. I did not expect to start out like I did. I thought I’d have a few losses along the way. But it’s been good. I wanted to go out strong. But this has definitely been more than good.”
“It’s been a pleasure to have someone you can put out there and expect to win and get the win at one, because that’s the hardest position to get the win,” Brown said.
As for taking over as the full-time No. 1, that’s come with more than just a tougher slate of opponents. “It’s definitely a different mentality, but it’s more responsibility,” Willey said. “People look up to you. They look to you for help when they need it at practice. It has been nice helping some of the younger kids.”
The Class 2A, District 7 Tournament will start Tuesday at Crystal River, and the Sharks are favorites to capture the title after compiling a 17-1 mark. As for Willey, it’s a bit tricky to gauge his odds of earning a district crown despite his unbeaten record against 2A-7 foes. That’s because the one player he hasn’t fully faced, freshman Jonathan Judy-Hansen of Zephyrhills, is also undefeated in the district. They had just barely begun to play last month when rain washed out the match.
“It’s going to be very interesting in the district tournament,” Brown said. “There are a couple of guys that are pretty good. He’s not overconfident, but I’m fairly confident he’ll do well.”
Willey will attend UCF and has plans to try out for the school’s tennis team, though he’ll continue on in the sport in some capacity regardless. With the stretch run of his final prep campaign on the horizon, Willey has a chance to finish off his time with Nature Coast in style.
“I’ve never won a district championship in singles. But that’s my goal,” Willey said. “There’s still a lot of work that needs to be put in. There’s no guarantees. Anybody can beat anyone. I’ve just got to keep my head down and keep working.”
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.