Throughout the regular season we have spread out our talent, subbing in when injuries happen.  Well played by the starters, and the subs.  Everyone was focused and ready!

Our committed parents and fans were rewarded this week with great play & terrific weather.  

I encourage everyone to play/compete over the break as we have a big match as soon as we return:)

It was a tough loss to Chantilly on Friday night.  With Tyler and Josh out for singles, we knew it would be a battle.  Additionally, Vinh defaulted his singles due to a groin strain.  That being said, our Cougars stayed in the game and won 2 of the 3 doubles.  That's great news for the team:)  More work to do.....

It's Centreville on Tuesday at Nottaway Park!  Please come out to cheer the team on.

Congratulations all around for a very competitive match against the Bulldogs.  Although the score was 9-0, there were several singles, and a doubles that were very close.  Mo had a nice win over Michael Lu and the longest match of the day,  Vinh was off quickly, Artis, Nairith, and Nitin all kept their opponents back just far enough, and Josh had the big comeback of the day to win after a 6-9 deficit!

ALL exhibition doubles also brought in W's

Thanks to the parents who brought lots of food, and braved the cold as the sun went down:)

We are thankful for the better weather....

Practice tomorrow and Chantilly on Friday.

Congrats to our team for winning all courts this afternoon. It was really the match that almost didn’t happen because of intermittent rain. But the boys wanted to play and so we waited it out and everyone got some practice in and prepared for Westfield and Chantilly later in the week.

We will try to reschedule this match later in the season.  The team will be getting ready for three matches next week:

3/25- South Lakes @ Nottaway

3/27- Westfield @ Nottaway

3/29- Chantilly @ Nottaway

Parents and Players: Please continue to stay current with the schedule.  Note that our second match with Westfield has been changed from April 11th to April 10th.

After a super competitive scrimmage at TJ, our Cougars turned their focus to Lake Braddock.  With some good tennis weather, finally, the top 6 got to work and made a near sweep in singles.  Doubles went quickly with all 3 courts bringing in the W!  Every exhibition match contributed with a win as well.

Plenty of food rounded out the afternoon:)

Wed. and Thurs. will be regular practice days, full of challenges as we continue to build a lineup.

Friday- practice and uniform hand out if the weather stays dry,  followed by team dinner at Glory Days in Fairfax from 6-8pm

MONDAY: AWAY @ TJHSST

TUESDAY @ NOTTAWAY PARK VS. LAKE BRADDOCK

WED, THURS : PRACTICE

FRIDAY: PRACTICE FOLLOWED DIRECTLY BY TEAM DINNER AT GLORY DAYS IN THE PAN AM SHOPPING CENTER IN FAIRFAX 5:45-8:00 

It was a nice way to open the 2019 season! 

We will have our second scrimmage @ TJHSST on Monday, March 11th.  With a 3 hr. early release for students, they will have to make their way back to school at 3:00 to catch the bus at door #6.  There will NOT be anywhere for them to stay at Oakton during the hours 11:30-3:00.  Looking forward to seeing parents and tennis fans at this next match:)

Team will meet in the gym lobby, by door #6, after the bell tomorrow, Thurs. March 7th.  We will meet the bus there and return to door #6 after our match with South County HS.  ALL players need to dress in layers as it will be cold. Hats and gloves will make it bearable:) There will be food provided!

I am trying to reschedule and will let you know if and when:(

Practice will resume Monday, March 4th directly after school  

Team pictures will be taken on Tuesday, March 5th before practice.  I will hand out order forms on Monday.  You will have the option to pay online, or pay by check.

With final team selection complete and the tryouts behind us we will begin practice tomorrow promptly after school.

Parents, ask your son for their uniform order form.  I gave them out tonight at the meeting and showed sample sizes for the match shirts/shorts.  The top 3 items are mandatory, and the others suggested.

The parent meeting is tomorrow night, Thursday 2/28. It is mandatory and will be in the library at Oakton HS @ 7:00.  

The uniform rep, Nikki Evinger,  will be there to take order forms and payments. Checks are the preferred form of payment.  

Looking forward to seeing everyone and getting the season going!

Coach T & Coach Jo

Feb. 26th-  Tryouts continue this afternoon from 3:15-5ish. 

Schedule for remainder of week:

Wed. Feb. 27th- Final day of tryouts followed by final team selection meeting at Oakton at 5:00 rooms 175 & 176.  The students must get from Nottaway park back to Oakton.

Thurs. Feb 28th-  MANDATORY PARENT MEETING- 7PM Library at Oakton HS- Bring checkbook to take care of uniforms 

All returning players, as well as new players making it through 1st round cuts should show up.  3:15-5:30.  The forecast is calling for wind so it will be challenging.  Plan to be available for the next 3 days before final team selection.

The courts are still soaked and will not dry today.

Tryouts for boys tennis will continue on Friday Feb 22nd at 3:15.  This is day 3.  Only new players should attend.

I looked at the courts at 12:30 and they are quite puddled.  I think with a few more hours in the sun and some rolling right after school, we may be able to play.  The call will be made at 2:30 after we look at them one more time.  Thank you for your patience!

I will update court conditions for Thursday afternoon after I have looked at them.  Everyone will need to be available and flexible.  Our next day, whether its Thursday or Friday will be Tryout day #3 and will be followed by 1st round cuts.  

For the remaining new players, and returning players, there will be 2-3 more days of matches and final cuts to determine a roster.  

There will NOT be weekend practice as out Permit at Nottaway Park does not extend past the school week.  

GIRLS:  10:00-12:00 @ Nottaway Park      BOYS 12:30-3:30 @ Nottaway Park

To be held at Nottaway Park, Vienna Va.

Feb. 18- Tryouts 12:30-3:30 @ Nottaway Park, Vienna Va

Feb 19-22-  Tryouts 3:30-5:00

There is NO bus.  You may drive or walk to the park.

You must dress for the weather in layers.  It WILL be cold.  Bring all equipment you require, ie. racquets, shoes, bottle of water. 

You must have completed 3 things:

 VHSL Physical, signed by doctor....If you have one on file dated after May 1, 2018, you will be covered for the Spring.

Emergency Care form- everyone needs one for each sport they play

Parent AND Student must have completed the online Concussion test

Game summaries for post season on email distribution list:)

Congrats to the team for a solid and speedy win over Patriot HS this afternoon.  A win in singles gives everyone a break for the long week of tennis.....Extra bonus was a friendly match with a new team:)

Tomorrow the individuals will play at Lewinsville Park, or at an indoor site if it rains.  I will keep you updated.

Thanks as usual to the parents and fans for their support!

WOW!  Our Friday night clash with Chantilly reminded the team that there are difficult matches to play in our conference.....

On a perfectly sunny, windless, and warm afternoon we took the courts with a full lineup.  Chantilly as well had all their top players ready.  This had the feel of a "deep in postseason game."  Singles began with Mo on 1 getting off to a slow start against a well rested Will Pak.  Ryan on 2 was playing a more focused Shaun and on on serve early.  Tyler on 3 was up early, and Artis on 4 was struggling against Manu.  Nick on 5 was on serve early and then down after Keith put together a string of games, Nairith on 6 was making his opponent suffer.....

Mid sets had Mo in a large deficit, playing well but not winning the critical points, Ryan up a double break but unhappy with his strings, Tyler on cruise control, Artis unable to find a way into Manu's game, Nick making a slow but steady comeback, and Nairith done!  We have 1.  Court 1 also finishes with a L,  Tyler finishes with a win, and Artis with a L....its 2-2.  While Nick is chipping away at Keith's lead, Ryan is dropping games on 2 and upset with his stringing.  Nick draws even, with his fan group helping pull him through, and then goes up 9-8....Ryan meanwhile settles down enough to close his court out.  We have 3.  All eyes are on court 4.  Nick and Keith are playing very nervous games and this court goes to the chargers 9-11.  It's 3 all.....

Doubles begin with court 1, Mo and Artis getting up quickly 3-0, Ryan and Tyler on serve, and Nick and Nairith playing solid tennis.  Midset, court 1 has maintained a single break, court 2 is still on serve but with both players looking out of sorts, and court 3 maintaining a lead, but a smaller one.  Toward the end, Court 1 drops the set 9-11 after hard fought final games, court 2 loses against a highly motivated pair.  The match is over.....

However, the final doubles court continues to play, keeping our Conference title hopes alive.  Nick and Nairith are on serve now late in the match.  Teamwork and belief help our cougars get to a tiebreak at 10-10 and then go on to win the breaker 7-3!!  Such a testament to the commitment and investment these boys have to the team:)

Although we lost the match, we come away with confidence and a better understanding of how we need to play when we meet again in the Regions.

Thanks to our super parents and fans for hanging in there with us through a long and exciting afternoon!

Practice on Monday and Tuesday with challenge matches for varsity players....

Congratulation to Nick and Andrew on senior night!!  They played 3 dubs and worked it out......10-3 win:)

David Wang on 6 singles, and Nitin with Mo on 1 dubs all had great matches on this relaxed sunny afternoon.

All the regulars also brought in their courts as wins.  

Thanks to ALL the moms, and to AK for the beautiful cake and poster boards, and all the pics.  The boys will remember this day, and their time on the team:)

TIme to get ready for tomorrow @ Chantilly.  GO COUGARS!

WOW!

Another oversized win at Nottaway park tonight:)

Playing Westfield the 2nd time was a different story on our home courts.  While still cold and very windy, the team got down to business quickly.  Mo had a high quality match with Michael Lu, breaking him at 9 all to go up 10-9, and then holding serve one more time.  There was only break in the set.  Great win.  We have 1...

Ryan on 2 had no problems taking Ethan out and brought in the 2nd W.  Tyler on 3 made mincemeat of Timmy with a 10-0 win.  Timmy had won their first meeting a few weeks back and wasn't going to have that chance again.  We have 3.  Nairith on 6 also was off court early with a 10-2 win.  We're up to 4....  Artis on 4 played Neehar and played a dominant set by never giving him the same ball twice.  That makes 5.... Nick on 5 had the match of the day against Ankit.  Down early, Nick breaks mid-set to get back on serve, and then consolidates.  With an imported cheering section working hard, they pulled him through some tough games and the 6th singles win!  

Nice job also to our exhibition players for their steady focused play.  All W's all day:)

Also thanks to our managers who always get in done (when they're not playing)

Overall it was a friendly match with many buddies on the other team.  Good times in spite of the continuing winter weather.

Thanks K Xu for the load of pizza and snacks... And to the parents and fans for braving another day in the elements.

Hope to see many of you at our next match @ Chantilly on tuesday.  

Today our Cougars played a team new to our conference, Madison.  It was another chilly, dark, and windy afternoon, like much of the SPRING season:)

After introductions the boys got on to the task of getting through singles.  With Ryan out, Kevin Nguyen subbed in at 6 and everyone else moved up a spot.  Mo and Tyler has competitive matches on 1 and 2.  Each dropped 3 or 4 games before closing out their courts.  Meanwhile, on 3-5 the Cougars were extremely dominant, and Artis, Nick, and Nairith were off court fairly quickly with each dropping 1 game.  The match is technically over but play goes on.  K. Nu on 6 is in a tight match all the way to 10 all.  The breaker went to Madison, but a very well played set all around.

Congrats to the team for another win.  We have now played each team in the district and know what will be needed for the second half of the regular season.

Everyone was tired from a long week filled with matches and end of quarter academics.  On the bus ride over, nearly half the team was napping or resting quietly.  We were hoping that Robinson felt the same way.......

Singles started with David Wang subbing in for Mo on court 1, Ryan on 2, Tyler on 3, Artis on 4, Nick on 5, and Nairith on 6.  David is under pressure immediately from Alex's strong serve, Ryan gets off to a low start against Drew who is on fire, Tyler goes up an early break on 3 and then hangs in to win a very long game to go up 3-0 against Wesley, , Artis looks to be in command on 4, throwing all types of shots at Winston, Nick and Adam are trading breaks on 5 and playing a tight set, Nairith gets up an early break and maintains it over Hayden.

Matches play on and we go into dubs 3 all.......winning singles at 3,4,and 6.

1 dubs with Artis/K Xu wins first game and then falls back 1-4.  On 2, Tyler and Ryan start strong and increase the lead with each card turn, and on 3, the pivotal match, Nick/Nairith are playing hard against a Robinson team that knows this will be THE court.  Court 1 is working so hard and making progress (these 2 have never played together), but the deficit is too much to overcome, court 2 is nearing the finish line, and court 3 is experiencing drama.....

After Nick/Nairith turn the card to 7-4, Robinson calls the trainer for a shoulder problem and our boys have to cool their heels for nearly 20 minutes.  Momentum lost and we drop 4 of the next 5 games going down 8-9 with the match on the line.  A  solid hold and a shaky service from the Rams allows the Cougars to serve and bring home the final game in almost total darkness.  Crowds roared and belief grows......

Congrats to the rest of the team for playing competitive matches and also to Nitin (and his mom) for bringing the mother load of pizza and drinks:)

Next week brings Madison and Westfield at home.  You fans know you're our good luck charms so come out and cheer us on as we move into the second half of the season undefeated!

Cougar tennis is rolling.....  After a big win over Chantilly Friday night, the team soundly beat Centreville last night, and went to TJ this afternoon.

The varsity players stayed at TJ, while the remainder of the team walked over to Holmes Middle school where we had use of 6 additional courts.  A LOT of tennis was played today:)

Singles started with Mo on 1,  David subbing in for Ryan on court 2, Tyler on 3, Artis on 4, Nick on 5, and Nairith on 6.  These players are all familiar with each other and the cougars got off to a quick start.  Oakton took 4 singles with wins on courts 1,4,5,and 6.  Going into dubs with a 4-2 lead let the players exhale and play freely.  Court 3 dubs finished with a decisive 10-2 W and the match was won:)  Courts 1 and 2 each had very close sets with 8-10 scores.  

The exhibition players had less W's to report but ALL felt their matches were challenging and were glad to have the opportunity to play singles.

A huge congrats to the team for such a unified and solid effort:)

 Thanks also to Lisa for bringing enough food to feed Northern Va, for a week.....

On to Robinson on Friday.  Please come out to cheer for the boys and help push them over the final hurdle of the week!!

Finally we had a perfect day to play tennis on our home courts @ Nottaway park.  Andrew sets the mood with his boom box.  Chantilly arrives on time and warms up.  Introductions are made, and the match is on.....

Mo drops serve in the first game on 1,  Ryan gets off to a fast start on 2, K Nu on 3 drops the first games as he settles in for a long match,  Artis on 4 is trying to figure out his opponent, Nick on 5 is getting overpowered early on, and Nairith on 6 is very quietly destroying his opponents confidence.  Court 1 has Mo and Will playing long grueling games with only the one break of serve.  Ryan on 2 is stretching his lead over Shanuk and making it look painless, K Nu is trying to handle the heavy strokes of Akhil on 3, and Artis is still trying to work out his opponents game. Nick, after being down 1-5 begins his climb.  Card turn after card turn show Nick catching up and then going up a game.  On 6, Nairith is at the finish line and off court first.  We have 1. Within minutes Ryan is also done after playing a dominant set.  We have 2.  Nick now has his foot on the gas and doesn't give up another game.  We have 3.  As Mo and Will approach the end of the set, with almost everyone in the park watching, Mo is finally able to secure the break and get back on serve.  Huge serving and nerves of steel send him to a tiebreak at 10 all.  Huge win to Mo (7-5)   We have 4.  What a treat for all the fans!!   Chantilly takes courts 3 and 4.  

Doubles begin with the Cougars having the 4-2 advantage.  Courts 2 and 3 played solid, focused, consistent tennis and won within minutes of each other.  Ryan/Kevin Xu on 2, and Nick/Nairith on 3 brought home this important win over a very strong team!! 

Lastly, all of our exhibition players played and brought in W's.

The atmosphere of the entire afternoon was so positive, and the sportsmanship so evident, making this match an example of everything that is great about High School Tennis:)

Big thanks to ALL our parents and fans for bringing food/drink, and mostly spirit and cheering!

Another cold and very windy day for our match with South Lakes.  It was a minor inconvenience:)

Our Cougars maintained focus and concentration and dropped very few games in most of the matches!

Court 1 doubles had the most competitive action with Mo and Artis falling behind early, and them maintaining a break down until 7 all....and then a hold, and another break!  Lots of action and the feeling of playoffs:)

Thanks to Sara for the heavy "snacks" and the banner

Also thanks again to all our loyal fans and parents.  Hope you thaw out this evening:)

Congratulations to our 2018 Cougars on a clean sweep vs. Battlefield!   The day was cold, but the sun was out enough to keep our players moving well.   All varsity players maintained their concentration and their games to keep game loss to 2 or less on each of the 9 courts.  Also shout outs to our exhibition players for solid efforts bringing in ALL W's.

Parents and fans were out in force cheering on the team.  Thank you!!  Special thanks to the snack family for keeping the boys in pizza:)

Tomorrow we will get back to the business of challenging and setting doubles pairs.

On an extremely cold and windy afternoon the cougars played Flint Hill in the first match of the season.  The team played 12 singles matches, and 1 dubs before we called it quits due to weather and darkness.  The Cougars played well in difficult conditions, and were dominant in the scoreline on most courts.  

Much food was eaten, compliments of Rohan:)  Everyone loves COLD pizza....

Thanks to our faithful fans and parents for braving the cold and cheering the team on!

We will reschedule and I will update the website ASAP.  TJ said their courts would NOT be dry anytime today.

I will check Nottaway's courts @ 2:30 to determine if we will practice today.

Tuesday- Returning and new players

Returners do NOT need to come today.  We will be working with the new players this afternoon.

For those offered a spot at the end of tryouts, the Parent meeting will be Wednesday, Feb.28th @ 7:00 pm in the school cafeteria.  One parent for each student must attend.

Tryouts will continue Monday, same time, same place.  We will play until we have enough information to select a final team.  

It looks like 40% chance of rain at 5:00 so we will get in as much play as we can today.  Please have a plan with your parents for transportation in case of early dismissal.  

Due to the rainy conditions tryouts will begin Tuesday, February 20 at 3:30 at Nottoway Park. If we need a fifth day of tryouts we will either continue on Saturday or next Monday.

To be eligible for tryouts, you must have a completed VHSL physical, completed emergency care form, and student/parent concussion course completed.  If you are missing any of these items, you can download the forms on our oaktonathletics.org website.  Any physicals brought on Monday MUST be turned in directly to the activities office at the school.  They will give you a clearance slip you may bring to the courts.

I have asked the players to wear weather appropriate clothing AND to bring water the first day.

Tryout schedule:  Each day @ Nottaway park, Vienna Va

Monday 2/19  3:00-5:00 approx (no returners)

Tuesday -  3:30-5:30 approx

Wednesday - 3:30-5:30 approx with 1st round cuts following  

Thursday 3:30-5:30

Friday 3:30-5:30 approx with team selection immediately following

You may email or call me if you have further questions.

Coach Tyskowski -  ejtyskowski@fcps.edu   703-472-0863

Interested and returning players should attend.  Should take about 30 minutes.

Optional workouts for new and returning players.

Must have emergency care form signed and completed to participate.  Turn in to the activities office .

This article was written by an independent journalist not affiliated with Oakton High School and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Oakton High School.

This article was written by an independent journalist not affiliated with Oakton High School and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Oakton High School.

This article was written by an independent journalist not affiliated with Oakton High School and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Oakton High School.

This article was written by an independent journalist not affiliated with Oakton High School and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Oakton High School.

This article was written by an independent journalist not affiliated with Oakton High School and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Oakton High School.

This article was written by an independent journalist not affiliated with Oakton High School and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Oakton High School.

This article was written by an independent journalist not affiliated with Oakton High School and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Oakton High School.

This article was written by an independent journalist not affiliated with Oakton High School and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Oakton High School.

This article was written by an independent journalist not affiliated with Oakton High School and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Oakton High School.

This article was written by an independent journalist not affiliated with Oakton High School and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Oakton High School.

This article was written by an independent journalist not affiliated with Oakton High School and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Oakton High School.

This article was written by an independent journalist not affiliated with Oakton High School and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Oakton High School.

This article was written by an independent journalist not affiliated with Oakton High School and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Oakton High School.

This article was written by an independent journalist not affiliated with Oakton High School and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Oakton High School.

This article was written by an independent journalist not affiliated with Oakton High School and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Oakton High School.

This article was written by an independent journalist not affiliated with Oakton High School and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Oakton High School.

This article was written by an independent journalist not affiliated with Oakton High School and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Oakton High School.