TENNIS NOTEBOOK: HART SHOWING ITS THE CLASS OF FOOTHILL LEAGUE.Byline: Katie Hooker Staff Writer To put it simply, the Hart boys' tennis team is steam-rolling its opponents. The Indians defeated Valencia, three-time Foothill League champs, 12-6, on Thursday, after coming off an 11-7 win at Campbell Hall Campbell Hall can refer to:
``I knew (Valencia was) down this year, but I figured it would be a battle, and it was,'' Hart coach Chris Mansfield said. ``We were really geared up after we beat Campbell Hall.'' Hart's singles swept Valencia, despite the absence of Richard Mendelson, the Indians' No. 3 player. Mansfield noted that Valencia pulled John Joseph, their No. 1 in singles, over to doubles in an attempt to pull even with them. Hart (8-0, 2-0) did have one disappointment - Tuesday's rainout rain·out n. An event, such as an athletic contest, that has been rained out. Radioactive material in the atmosphere brought down by precipitation. of its match against Burbank. The Indians have been anticipating their match against the perennial powerhouse, as well as undefeated Canyon (7-0, 2-0), to see how they stack up in the league. ``Last year we were a very good team, 8-2, until league play. Then we fell apart under pressure. (It) was a mess. Now (the boys) are getting better experience, and they're better under pressure,'' Mansfield said, adding, ``I know they will keep it together.'' Hart will be on spring break next week, and will return to play Saugus on April 5. The match against Burbank will be rescheduled for the third week of April. --Losing steam: The team that's surprising everyone this year is Burbank, but for all the wrong reasons. The former Foothill League powerhouse has fallen in the ranks with a 6-4, 1-1 record. ``The Burbank mystique mys·tique n. An aura of heightened value, interest, or meaning surrounding something, arising from attitudes and beliefs that impute special power or mystery to it: the cowboy mystique; the mystique of existentialism. is sort of gone. We used to intimidate in·tim·i·date tr.v. in·tim·i·dat·ed, in·tim·i·dat·ing, in·tim·i·dates 1. To make timid; fill with fear. 2. To coerce or inhibit by or as if by threats. people just on tradition,'' Burbank coach Paul McNiff said. Despite an 11-7 win on Thursday against Saugus, the team has had a tough time getting their inconsistencies straight, and has been battling through league play. A 10-8 loss to Canyon on March 17 showed the rest of the league that it is now possible to defeat the once-powerful Bulldogs. McNiff is still rearranging his lineup and trying to find the right doubles combinations. Burbank has no players who moved into varsity with a junior varsity junior varsity n. Abbr. JV A high-school or college team that competes in interschool sports on the level below varsity. Noun 1. league title, a variation from years past, and McNiff said he has had to coach his team on how to serve and volley The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. Please help [ improve the introduction] to meet Wikipedia's layout standards. You can discuss the issue on the talk page. , skills he says should be ingrained in·grained adj. 1. Firmly established; deep-seated: ingrained prejudice; the ingrained habits of a lifetime. 2. already into his players. Right now, he's reinforcing skills that ``should be a given.'' Burbank's players are showing strong inconsistency in·con·sis·ten·cy n. pl. in·con·sis·ten·cies 1. The state or quality of being inconsistent. 2. Something inconsistent: many inconsistencies in your proposal. in matches, as well, having ``on-again, off-again'' days. Burbank's No. 1 singles player, Garn Sangsuriyakul, McNiff said, ``will have days where he's sort of lethargic, and he'll play at the level of his opponents.'' Katie Hooker, (818) 713-3608 katie.hooker(at)dailynews.com |
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