Netmen crush Quince Orchard in Counties

Blair's number three doubles duo decisively defeated their Quince Orchard rivals today, 6-1, 6-4, picking up the slack left by their teammates yesterday on the first day of Counties.

So far, the Blazers have accumulated five points, winning five and giving up two matches on May 6.

Coach David Ngbea was not surprised by top player Price's loss to divisionally-ranked Whitman, but he was slightly taken aback by lower-seeded Rockville's victory over Blair's number one doubles team.

Nevertheless, Ngbea remains optimistic about his boys' potential, but noted that the team will have the best chances at conquering the Counties if they do not give up any more matches. "If we win all the games today, we'll still be in good shape," he commented.

By the looks of today's match at Blair, the Blazer netmen seem to be on the right track. Number three doubles player Jason Liu's cross-court ground strokes that strategically cleared both opponent's rackets, combined with partner Edward Hsieh's forceful volleys left the Blazer duo with a guaranteed victory.

The pair's opponents put up a small fight several games into the second match, trying to overpower the Blazers with everything from overheads to volleys to dropshots but Liu and Hsieh's quick footwork and sharp coordination enabled the Blazer duo to easily outsmart their opponents.

Although Blair came out of today's game triumphant, Ngbea stressed the need for the duo to improve their serving and rallying techniques to minimize errors on the court. "There are two key elements to keep in mind when playing," he said. "Getting first serves in and keeping the ball in play after the serve. It's critical that you get your first serves in. Double faulting and hitting the ball out is basically beating yourself. And if you hit the ball up, like Jason does, the ball is going to get slammed down his throat."

Liu admitted that his opponents played an aggressive netgame and that the Blazers were a little rusty in some areas, but contended that he and Hsieh compensated for their weaknesses and have what it takes to capture the tournament. "[My opponents] had good volleys so we just tried to keep hitting the ball past them," he said. "Our volleys and serves are a big problem but if we can get [these two areas] together, we can probably win the counties."