Woodside's Team Willis goes undefeated to win national championship in San Diego

Entering the season, Team Willis tempered its expectations. District play is highly competitive, so there’s little room for error if you want to advance to the section championships. After a strong start to the season, the team lost a match to another team from Woodside due to lineup issues and availability. The team was worried this would nix its chance at a run at the postseason.

However, the team forged ahead, getting stronger each week and eventually winning the district league championships.

“Each week, we focused on putting together the best possible lineup based on matchups,” Willis said. “We did a lot of preparation and strategy. In the end, we barely pulled off the district win.”

That one match the team lost? It would end up being the only match the team would lose all season.

Those early-season nerves quickly vanished during the section championships on Nov. 7-9 in Wichita, Kan., where Team Willis dominated the competition. The team only dropped one court in a close tiebreaker throughout the entire tournament, despite Willis being sidelined with an injury after just one match. Another teammate stepped up in his absence and played the rest of the way.

That strong performance earned the team — the same one that at one point was worried it wouldn’t even make the postseason — a bid to nationals in San Diego.

Nationals Dominance

Once at nationals, Team Willis continued its winning streak with a 6-0 overall record, as 14 individual courts won and just four courts lost. Zucht, who is 45, and Jakob Cloverdyke, who is 42, played all six of their matches. The 4.5 court, played by Stefan Nikolic, Bruno Mata, Farhan Sadique and Minar Rane, went undefeated in their matches, including winning all tiebreakers.

The well-oiled machine from Woodside could not be stopped and rolled all the way to the top of the podium. A USTA Kansas 18 & Over men’s high tri-level team also captured a national title that same weekend in San Diego. These were the first two tri-level national championships in USTA Missouri Valley history.

Willis credited this success to the bond among his players that was created at Woodside.

“The coolest part of the team was that we were like a family,” he said. “Almost everyone was from Woodside. We all played with each other across levels — 3.5s, 4.0s, 4.5s — and even with 5.0 players. That raised everyone’s level.

“At nationals, other teams had recruited players from across states who didn’t know each other well. They were talented, but they didn’t have our chemistry. In tight situations, we stayed strong while other teams fell apart. That camaraderie made the difference. We spent time together on and off the court, and it showed when it mattered most.”

Zucht agreed.

“Not only did our tennis levels and endurance improve, so did team chemistry,” he said. “If you ask the team, winning nationals was the cherry on top. The trips to sectionals and nationals built a bond amongst players. By the end of it all, time spent off the court was valued just as much or more than time spent on the court.”

Willis credited Zucht for the lion’s share of the team’s success. Zucht handled all the team’s logistics, from scheduling and communication to booking accommodations for players to stay together in their tournament travels.

“He made sure everything ran smoothly so players could focus on tennis,” Willis said.

The future of the team remains bright despite it being in a holding pattern for the moment. USTA rules prevent national championship teams from returning intact the following year. However, Willis remains hopeful the team can continue its success next year.

“We’ll come back together the following year,” he said. “We’re all still close and continue to play together.”

View more info about the Tom Fey Tri-Level National Invitational here. Learn more about USTA Heart of America leagues by clicking here.