Vikings beat Blazers

After starting the season with victories of 7-0, 7-0, and 6-1, the boys' tennis team faltered today and lost to Whitman 3-4. Many players expected to have some difficulty with Whitman, considering it was the first Division I team they have faced so far, and the Blazers were overwhelmed with strong singles and doubles opponents.

Much of the Blazers' struggle today came from evenly matched competition. Third singles player Hailiu Yang won only after playing for three long sets of 5-7, 6-4, and 6-4. After huge victories over his previous rivals, this match caught Yang off guard but he quickly recovered and got his rhythm back. Second doubles team of sophomore Edward Hsieh and senior Kevin Chai also had a long match, which lasted for over two hours. This teeth-grindingly close match of 6-7(3), 7-6(1), and 6-0 ended with another Blair victory. "It was a hard fought match," coach's assistant Hersch Bhatia said.

The Blazers had difficulty today with double faulting and hitting high. With such close games and matches, the points lost from double faulting may have cost the Blazers the overall competition. Coach David Ngbea also believed the Blazers were not always hitting the balls to score points but, rather, just tried to return the ball, which often resulted in floaters that the Whitman players took advantage of.

Although the Blazers lost today, Ngbea was satisfied with the team's performance and stated that this was the first hard match they have played so far this season, which may have caused some anxiety.

The boys' tennis team's next match will be at Churchill on March 31 at 3:30 p.m.