In any sport there is a fine line between victory and defeat. When dealing with a talented opponent, one incorrect judgment, one misstep can open the door for an opponent to gather an edge.
In the March 27 tennis match between Arlington and Stanwood, several close line calls made all the difference for the Stanwood girls lopsided 7-0 victory.
Already undefeated in league, Stanwood showed up for the match full of confidence. The girls walked with a slight swagger and chatted breezily between sets. Arlingtons girls were more subdued, a bit more realistic about their chances in the match.
This was a good team we faced, said coach Sean Cunningham, They are more polished. Many of them play up at the Stanwood Racket Club.
His Arlington girls put up a fight but could not outlast the consistent hitting of the top Stanwood players. In No. 1 singles, Arlingtons Andrea Parlin hit a number of forehand winners but it was not enough. Some unforced errors cost her valuable points early in the match.
That was not my best match. Shes hard to hit against, but I need to be more aggressive in digging out her weaknesses, said Parlin.
In No. 2 singles, Megan Grahams strong backhands from the baseline allowed her to get to the net. Unfortunately, her opponent made some quick adjustments and began lobbing Graham back toward the baseline, keeping her off-balance.
Graham vented her frustration after the match.
I was running around a lot. Next time we play, I need to keep her moving more so she cant get those lobs in. I want to make sure I hit the sides of the court with my shots.
Graham was also the hard-luck recipient of some dubious calls along the baseline, negating her powerful drives. Those critical lost points shifted the strategy of both players and forced Graham to play from behind.
The No. 1 doubles team of Galusha and Burkholder fared no better against their Stanwood counterparts. Solid baseline returns from Dani Fulwiller and Melanie Winkler kept the Arlington girls at bay. Too many passing shots slipped past the front of the doubles tandem, putting Arlington in a position of always returning from deep in the corners.
Coach Sean Cunningham was not discouraged in any way.
Were improving every day. Theres no question that we will give them a tougher time next time around.