NHS boys’ tennis holds strong

At 8-1, Nordhoff boys’ tennis team boosted by Slifkin brothers, Thorpe, veterans Ceiders, De Cordova

By Mike Miller

Nordhoff tennis coach Todd Dickey agrees with the saying, “Two is better than one,” especially when it comes to the Slifkin brothers. Adam and Josh Slifkin have led the Rangers to an overall record of 8-1 and 7-1 in Tri-Valley League play. Adam has been perfect on the season, going 24-0 in singles’ play and 3-0 in doubles. Josh is also undefeated on the season, with an 8-0 singles record and is 3-0 in doubles as well. Dickey said, “Adam has been solid all year and very consistent and Josh is very mature and he brings great leadership to our program.”
The Slifkin brothers are not the only show in town for the Rangers. Junior Chris Thorpe leads the team with 25 wins, with only one defeat. According to Dickey, Thorpe is a big hitter that uses a huge serve and powerful forehands to intimidate his opponents. In doubles, NHS has seen great play from the combination of junior Sam Ceiders and senior Mike Finley. Ceiders and Finley have gone 12-4 on the season. Dickey said, “They are both (Ceiders and Finley) veterans of our program and they have become very strong leaders.” Dickey also mentioned the doubles’ play of freshman Jacob De Cordova. He said, “Jacob has really been a pillar of confidence in doubles and he has a great team attitude.”
The NHS tennis program recently got a morale boost when new courts were installed a couple of months ago. “I have to say thank you to the school district, The Weil Tennis Academy and to ‘The Ojai’ for their support. The community came together to rebuild the courts and it has made a huge difference for our program,” added Dickey.
The Rangers have some huge matches coming up. They will travel across town tomorrow to take on Thacher at 3:45 p.m. Thacher is currently the second-ranked team in Division V. On April 2, the Rangers will host the top-ranked Division V team in Cate at 3 p.m. and then Oaks Christian will come to town the following day to play in a match that is likely to decide the Tri-Valley League title. Check the OVN for results of these matches as the Rangers look to become league champions.