Game, set and match for girls' tennis

Blair's girls' tennis team wrapped up its season last month with a respected county doubles title, flattering press coverage and a smashing 8-4 season record.

The number two doubles duo, composed of freshmen Alia Halabi and Kamisha Samuda, paved the way, clobbering their Whitman rivals on Oct 26 in the 2001 County Tennis Tournament, 6-1, 0-6, 7-5. The pair combined stellar ground strokes with slicing serves to rack up four out of the 14 points earned by the team, placing Blair third in the county behind Whitman and Churchill high schools.

Coach David Ngbea praised Halabi and Samuda's combination of strength and skill. "Alia provides the power and Kamisha tends to provide the consistency and placement," Ngbea said. "Alia hits winners, but Kamisha keeps the balls in the court."

The pair's exemplary performance was commended in the Oct 31 issue of The Gazette, which called Halabi and Samuda's win "the biggest upset of the day."

Indeed, Blair's doubles victory shocked Whitman, a team that has dominated the number two doubles arena since 1996.

Ngbea was thrilled that Blair had five tournament semifinalists and two finalists. "That hasn't happened for girls' [tennis at Blair] in five years," Ngbea said proudly.

Senior Vivian Wang, who entered the semifinals seeded fourth, combined consistent ground strokes with an unpredictable variety of lobs and passing shots to defeat her number one seeded Whitman opponent 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in what senior co-captain Julia Kay called "one of the biggest wins of the season."

Wang attributed her victory to her ability to recognize her opponent's weaknesses. "I saw that she had trouble with my topspin on the backhand side ," said Wang. "So I kept those balls to her backhand, making sure the ball dropped into my comfort range before I hit."

The team's number one player, senior co-captain Jennifer Alyono, put forth a great effort in the first round of the tourney but was unable to beat her Quince Orchard opponent and lost 4-6, 0-6. At second singles, junior Lisa Kim held on until the quarterfinals, when Churchill seized the match 6-4, 6-2. On singles court four, Kay remained alive until she too dropped in the semifinals against Whitman 6-0, 6-2.

Kay noted that half of the team's starters are seniors this year, a fact that will provide an obstacle for next season. Nevertheless, Kay has complete confidence in the abilities of her remaining team members. "Many of the underclassmen have been improving this year," Kay said. "Alia and Kamisha are ready to step up. I'm optimistic that the team will have a good season next year."