Bloomington North head boys’ tennis coach Ken Hydinger has great appreciation for what sophomore Ben Konisky brings to the team.
Just a sophomore, he’s already developing a game and a demeanor of a much older player. He had plenty of success paired up with now senior Esteban Crespo at No. 2 doubles last year, but now plays the 2 singles spot. And it’s one less spot that Hydinger has to worry so much about on match day.
He knows what Konisky is going to bring and the effort he’s going to give, because it’s the same every time out.
“That’s what you can build on,” Hydinger said. “That’s what you can count on. If a guy’s all up and down and all over the place, it’s bad for the team. But it’s a foundation. That’s where you pour a foundation and build up a house from there. You gotta have something solid to start with.
“And he’s young, he’s a sophomore and he’s doing this. By the time he’s a senior it’ll be even better.”
As a freshman, Konisky was still feeling his way through high school tennis.
“I thought last year he played a lot of times tentative,” Hydinger said. “I thought this year he’s playing in a much more positive manner, making things happen. He’s hitting the ball a lot bigger. He’s hitting his forehand cleaner. He’s setting the stages for coming in and finishing points better.
“I think he’s mentally stronger.”
Konisky has been playing since he was very young, introduced to the sport by his parents who played in high school. He took to it and seasoned himself by playing in USTA tournaments when he got a little older. It takes a strong work ethic to find the steadiness Konisky has developed.
“The main thing is to hit a lot of balls, getting the repetitions in,” Konisky said. “And then you start to get solid.”
Konisky has worked on being more assertive and aggressive this year, using his improved forehand. He knows his second serve is a weak point he plans to work on in the off-season. His improved confidence has made him tougher to beat this year and he remains level headed no matter the score.
“Cleaning up his forehand is big,” Hydinger said. “He didn’t drive it too much, and I think it’s also just a matter of you know what to expect and you have some positive results and you play some good people and play well against them.
“And then you know you have a chance to succeed and can be in there against anybody.”
Sectional pairings set
Konisky will play a big role if North is to claim a sectional title. He battled South’s Alex Busch hard in a loss that was the deciding match in the Panthers’ 3-2 win in their regular season meeting. South also won both doubles matches.
The IHSAA released it’s draw on Monday and if there’s to be a North-South rematch, it will happen in Wednesday’s semifinals. The South Sectional will begin on Tuesday with the 10th-ranked Panthers taking on Brown County. The winner of that match gets the Cougars while Western Indiana Conference rivals Edgewood and Owen Valley battle for the other spot in Thursday’s finals.
Both Bloomington teams will bring the the same lineups from the earlier meeting into the sectional with South filling its singles spots with David Ciucu, Busch and Caleb Lian at singles and Josh Sang/Connor Couch and Abe Corry/William Liao at 2 doubles. North has Brady Murphy, Konisky and Crespo at singles and Krishil Patel/Dev Chopra and Hersh Patel/Ramsey Mills at doubles.
Edgewood’s Andrew Paul will be a tough out at 1 singles, picking up the lone wins when the Mustangs faced North and South. Edgewood lost to Owen Valley 3-2.
At Mooresville, the Pioneers will open against Greencastle with South Putnam taking on Martinsville.
The winner at Bloomington will take on the Terre Haute champ at the Plainfield Regional next week while the Mooresville winner draws the Plainfield Sectional champ in the other semifinal.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Sophomore Konisky ‘someone to build on’ for Bloomington North tennis
