Blazer tennis triumphs over Magruder

BLAZER TENNIS COURTS, Sept. 20 –

The girls' tennis team (3-3) defeated the Magruder Colonels (3-2), sweeping all of its matches in a decisive 7-0 victory. Although they were exhausted after losing Monday's critical division game against Churchill, the Blazers didn't let up and as a result earned a big win over Magruder.

In each individual match, the Blazers remained relatively cool and calm because of how well they controlled the ball. Second singles player Leslie Chen fired off some very impressive serves to win her set 6-0. She served the ball meticulously with both power and precision such that the ball hit the service line every time, causing her opponent to commit errors. "I usually do that for all my serves or I'll mess up the power," Chen said. "I was frustrated by score disputes, but it didn't get to me."

In the fourth singles match, freshman Camilla Arias took both of her sets with ease after realizing she needed to relax more and conserve some of her power. On her serves, Arias racked up a few faults; however, she corrected this by stroking the ball and applying pressure on her opponent. "Yes, I was satisfied with my playing," Arias said. "My coach tells me to smack the ball."

Before the match began, Ngbea gave the girls some pointers, telling them to relax more and stay light on their feet so that they could return any ball. "Hopefully my kids will relax more and execute better and minimize stagnation," Ngbea said. "If you don't move the feet, you won't get the point, it's that simple." The Blazers followed their coach's advice, dominating their opponents in each match.

In the first doubles match, senior co-captain Anna Lu and senior Stella Bartholet demonstrated the same ferocity Chen showed in her singles match. "We are pretty consistent," Lu said. "We followed's Mr. Ngbea [advice] and played aggressive."

Overall, the Blazers played exceptionally and were satisfied with the win. Ngbea was especially pleased with the way the girls played. "As expected, they were more relaxed and consequently played better and got more balls back in play," Ngbea said. "Being a conscious player is key."

Ngbea hopes that his team will show the same concentration and relaxation against Poolesville next week. "Poolesville is the one team we have a realistic chance of beating in Division I," Ngbea said. "They will do good as long as they place where their needs are."