Blazers drop down to Division II

The girls' tennis team suffered many setbacks this year, including an unanticipated drop to Division II. However, there were many shining moments and shut-out games for the Blazers as well.

The team finished 7-6 overall, but the Blazers were unable to defeat a single divisional rival, leaving them 0-6 in Division I. Accordingly, Blair will begin to play as a Division II tennis team next year, a serious blow.
"We haven't dropped in I don't know how many years," said Coach David Ngbea. "It was our own doing. Except for Churchill, the games we lost, we beat ourselves."

The six critical losses left Ngbea with some doubts about Blair's ability to compete seriously against more experienced teams. He cited the inexperience of several of his players. "The bottom line is that many of our girls are not tournament-tough. We're playing tournament girls, girls used to competitions. A lot of our girls just don't have that experience," Ngbea concluded.

The team will lose four indispensable players next season, seniors Aditi Bhaskar, Katherine Epstein, Valerie Shen and Emily Tsui; Ngbea expects others to pick up the slack and rise to meet the challenge. "We need new players, or we need players who will go home and practice and not hang their rackets up."

This year's tennis season was an unpredictable and emotional ride, and the coach and team remain enthusiastic about their future prospects. "This season is a learning experience, and we'll have a much different team next season," Ngbea said.