Portland hosted their second quad of the season on Friday. GPW University Liggett, led by nationally ranked William Cooksey, finished third in the state last year and brought a squad that might be even better this year. They swept all of their matches for a perfect 24 points on the day. Portland had another great second place finish. These are four teams that always put up solid results in their regional and state tournaments. Finishing second in this tournament, with this competition, is quite the accomplishment. Liggett kept us from winning any flight championships, but we did have four flights that were runners up. Alex Russman at 2 singles, Kurt Kraczon/Jorgen Sonday at 1 doubles, Casey Smith/Kai Kipp at 2 doubles, and Dane Wildrom/Austin Getchell at 4 doubles all finished second in their flights. I was really impressed with two players today. Alex Russman played 2 doubles last year and has moved into the 2 singles spot. Those are two completely different kinds of tennis and he is playing singles like he's done it for his entire career. Ethan Webert has also made a big impression at 4 singles. We were looking for a way to round out that part of our line up. After the first week of practice, it was clear that he had put in a ton of work since last season. It may be one of the biggest improvements I've seen in my coaching career from one season to the next. Portland will host another quad on Tuesday 8/25 with Grant, Williamston, and Essexville-Garber.