Boys tennis trounces Damascus

In a Division II match-up on Monday, Mar 31, Blair's boys' tennis team defeated Damascus High School 6-1.

On court one, first-seeded singles player junior Michael Price overpowered Damascus player Matt Johnson 6-2, 6-1. Playing second singles, junior Gordon Su defeated his opponent in a close match, losing the first set 6-2 but winning the next two 6-3, 6-4. Third-ranked junior Maxsim Gibiansky won 6-1, 6-1, and fourth singles player Jason Liu prevailed with a shutout, 6-0, 6-0.

"I was really surprised with the singles matches," said Coach David Ngbea. "The matches looked even in the beginning. They really played well to have come out on top like that."

First doubles partners junior Artem Rykhov and senior Sei-Wook Kim lost a close match, winning the first set 6-4 but then losing the second two 4-6, 3-6. On doubles court two, junior Kevin Chai and senior Ji-Heon Kim won 6-0, 6-1, and third seeded doubles duo sophomore Edward Hsieh and freshman Michael Tsai emerged victorious with a 6-0, 6-0 shutout.

When paired with challenging opponents, the snow and fierce winds made playing difficult. "I had to play well enough to win this time," said Gibiansky. "He made me use my low volleys and half volleys."

Amid the blustering gusts and on-and-off flurries, Ngbea noted the importance of this match. "We really needed to win this match in spite of the weather. Overall, people saw that their shots were affected by the wind, and adapted. I was very impressed," he said.

Several players said this match bodes well for Blair moving up to Division I at the end of the year. "For the past two years, we've been one match away from moving up. This could be the year," said Gibiansky.

Ngbea is pleased with the team's progress this season. "We're 3-1, and that's pretty good, if you ask me."

Blair's Mar 29 match at Walter Johnson High School was rained out, and no date has yet been set for a make-up game.

The next match is on Apr 2 at Richard Montgomery High School.