Junior feeling good for SCT
By: Justin Feil
Ryan Dennie was a welcome addition to the Montgomery High boys’ tennis team last year, and he’s been even more important this year in the Cougars’ turnaround from an early season slump.
The transfer from the Chicago area took no time in fitting into the Cougars lineup at second singles last year as he posted a 12-6 record while helping the Cougars go 13-4 and reach the sectional semifinals. It didn’t take him long to adjust to his new settings and the high school competition. With a season under his belt, Dennie his hoping for even better results this year, particularly in his second Somerset County Tournament today.
"Since I was pretty new, I didn’t know anything about the players," Dennie said of last year’s SCT. "I walked in not knowing what to expect. And I lost in the first round."
Dennie, seeded fifth for this year’s SCT, is hoping that like the Cougars, he can continue to pick up his play in the second half of the season. Dennie was a 6-2, 6-3 winner in the Cougars’ 5-0 sweep of Somerville on Tuesday. With the win, MHS improved to 6-6 and with a win over Warren Hills on Monday, will qualify for states.
"We played a couple tough teams to begin with," Dennie said. "It was a poor start, but it happens. At first we weren’t expecting to get in (states) because of our rough start. But we caught up."
MHS actually didn’t win any of their first five matches, but the players held it together.
"They probably did a better job than I did," said John Arnold, Cougars’ head coach for the past 13 seasons. "We started out 0-5. It was rough for Montgomery. I don’t think I’ve had five losses in a season."
While MHS returned first singles’ Jeremy Eckhardt and Dennie at the top of the lineup, the Cougars have been searching for the right doubles combinations for much of the season. In winning six of their last seven matches including a 3-2 win over Princeton High they’ve proven they won’t give up, regardless of how tough the competition is. The SCT is guaranteed to be some of the toughest around.
"We have Bridgewater, Hillsborough, we have some of the best teams in state in our county," Arnold said. "It’s always been the hardest thing to win. And this year, there’s a dark horse in Watchung Hills, who has a Top 100 player in the country at first singles and his little 6-2 brother at doubles. We’ve managed to get by Watchung Hills without them in the lineup. We just want to hang on for as long as we can. And hopefully not get wet."
In Dennie, Arnold has a player that fits squarely on Montgomery’s never-say-die team. It’s the quality that jumps out as much as the fact that his playing style doesn’t quite fit anyone else’s. It’s part of the package that Arnold believes makes Dennie tough to beat.
"He never quits," Arnold said. "He never gives up. He’s unorthodox. The way he prepares for a shot, you can’t tell where it’s going. He’s got very good hands. He has good sense and knows where to put the ball and where to do it. His game is definitely getting deeper. He plays points better than he did last year. He’s able to set things up rather than go for the big shot all the time. He’s got more strategy in his game now."
Dennie started playing at age 7 when he still lived in his native country of South Africa. He continued to play when he moved to Chicago two years later.
"I started playing in South Africa, and then we moved to Chicago," Dennie said. "That’s where I did most of my learning. I was in a few good programs."
Those same programs developed his player into a highly ranked player on the national scene. Justin Dennie plays fourth singles and second doubles as a sophomore at Creighton University. When Justin is home, Ryan tunes up his game by playing his older brother who he played behind as a freshman at Libertyville High before the family moved to Montgomery.
"He’s better than me," Dennie said. "He’s good."
Ryan Dennie has proven to be pretty good in MHS’ lineup. There wasn’t much of an adjustment period after coming from Chicago.
"It’s pretty much the same," Dennie said of the level of tennis. "The schools we play are pretty even to what we did (at Libertyville). Junior tennis in Chicago is probably a lot stronger though."As for this year, Dennie has followed in line with the team and started to win more of his matches in recent weeks. He’s 6-4 after Tuesday’s win.
"I’m winning the matches I should win," the junior said. "Those teams that have tough lineups, there’s not a lot you can do. I just pretty much try to have as much confidence as I can because that always gets you somewhere."
"Ryan started out really strong last year," Arnold said. "Then he started to question himself and backed off on his game. This year he started strong and we expect him to finish that way."
It’s important for the Cougars’ chances to finish strong in the SCT and the season, which now should include a trip to the state tournament. It’s something that MHS is looking forward to along with consistent play.
"It just good we turned it around," Dennie said. "I didn’t look good in the beginning."

