Although only in its third year at Houghton, the tennis program hosted its second annual tennis tournament the first weekend in December. While members of the Houghton tennis team could not participate because of National College Athletic Association (NCAA) rules, the tournament was “open to the general public,” Coach Charlie Ellis said. Through an advertising system of emails and communication “kind of like a pyramid” as well as “word of mouth,” participants came from towns, communities, and high schools all over the Western Tier. Ages ranged between 14 and 62.
As the tournament’s director, Ellis structured it as a round robin tournament, divided between doubles and singles. The doubles tournament was won by Brennan Campbell, a tennis team graduate of the previous year, and Ellis, who substituted for a player who failed to come. Bill Stives, the Wellsville coach, and Ben Wright, the Olean High School coach, were the runners up. Houghton Academy student Tom Kawamura won the singles tournament, with Jason Cui, also a Houghton Academy student, as runner up. Ellis noted that both the Academy students were “very excited about tennis and also interested in Houghton College.”
The turnout for this year’s tournament was about 20 people, an unexpectedly good turnout. “We were actually not going to have it until four or five days before they started advertising,” Ellis said. “We decided to go ahead and have it at the eleventh hour.” Participant Andrew Oden noted that the tournament “ran very smoothly.” As the varsity boy’s tennis team coach at Fillmore Central School, Oden said, “It was a lot of fun meeting people from the surrounding area, of various ages, that are passionate about tennis.” He appreciated the ability to play tennis in the Kerr-Pegula Field-House (KPFH). “Before the field house existed, tennis players would be in hibernation for about five months; now we can play year round.”
Beyond being a great opportunity for tennis players around the area to play together, Ellis emphasized the tournament’s ultimate intention. Last year’s tournament served as a fundraiser for the tennis team’s mission trip to the Dominican Republic. Ellis affirmed the success of the trip, describing the tennis team who went as “a powerful group of men and women” and commending their Christ-like attitude. “When we took off to go to the Dominican Republic I was fearful because hardly anything was planned, but they just stepped up and took over.” Ellis said that the intention for this year’s tournament is to “archive money for future mission trips this year,” based on last year’s successful trip. Referencing the deep impression of that trip, Ellis said, “That’s why we started the tennis tournament. That’s what its purpose is.”