Netmen have chance at division title

The Blair boys tennis team just barely defeated their Springbrook rivals, 4-3 today after several close calls that almost cost Blair the meet.

Coach David Ngbea is frustrated by the win, saying that if the boys had defeated Quince Orchard on Apr 17, their victory over Springbrook would have guaranteed the Blazers the division title. But Ngbea adds that the teams technically still has a shot at capturing their division. "We lost to Quince Orchard, but we beat Springbrook," he explained. "If Springbrook beats Quince Orchard, we shall have a three-way tie."

The team seems to be on the right track in the doubles arena. On doubles court one, duo Lella Alemu and Edward Halabi took their time in the first set but buckled down after an uncomfortable 7-5 victory, combining solid forehands with swiping over heads to seal the match, 7-5, 6-0.

Coach David Ngbea commended the doubles' comeback, adding that most pairs have improved their techniques and have become less tense since the last meet. "We have been more aggressive with our ground strokes and we're getting most of our first serves in,." he said. "We're able to relax a little bit better as well."

Indeed, doubles teams two and three (Kevin Chai and Ji-Heon Kim and Jason Liu and Edward Hsien) wiped out their opponents with ease, combining consistent ground strokes with smashing volleys to seize both matches, 6-1, 6-2 and 6-1, 6-0.

But number four singles player Gordon Su could not handle the pressure during a tie breaker game. Although Su demonstrated skillful placement techniques and speedy footwork, he nevertheless walked away from the court with a frustrating 6-2, 2-6 (7-5) 7-6 score, just four points shy of a Blair victory.

Two courts down on doubles court one, Michael Price combined power-packed serves with low-riding ground strokes but was unable to keep up with his opponent's inconsistent hitting, giving up the match 6-1, 6-2.

Pushing the ball to the baseline and high-floating balls were Price's main difficulties in the match. "I had trouble hitting the ball deep," he said. "Also, my opponent would hit the ball high to my backhand. It's hard to hit the ball when it's so high."

Ngbea blames over swinging and self-defeat for Su and Price's losses. "We had no business losing singles," he said. "We lost by hitting balls out and into the net. We're beating ourselves basically."

Nevertheless, the coach commended Price in particular for his ruthless performance, despite several tough matches. "Michael is playing the top guns in the county," he said, "but he's keeping a lot of balls in play. On occasion, he's overpowered but he keeps his opponents as weak as possible. He's into every match and has won a lot [of matches] which means he's doing what he's supposed to do."