Brahmas shut down Bulldogs
March 27, 2014
From the start of the match, the Diamond Bar boys tennis team overpowered the West Covina 18-0 on, March 18. The Brahmas played a flawless game in which they were able to achieve 15 bagels and two “silver” sets.
“They played very well. They are hitting the ball well and are working as a team. We have couple of new strong players that have filled in some spots for us and everyone had rallied around that,” coach Dave Hamel said.
The Brahmas’ doubles teams went unblemished by winning all nine of its matches. The No. 2 doubles team of junior Russell Chen and sophomore David Chee managed to defeat the WC No.2 doubles team in ten minutes after achieving a “silver” set. A silver set occurs when a player wins a set by only dropping one point. The No.1 doubles team consisting of seniors co-captains Minsong Hsu and Kenny Sakata bageled every opponent they faced and showed why they are considered one of the favorites to win the League Doubles title. The No. 3 team of the Phan twins also won 6-0 in all three of its matches.
Although the DB’s singles team consists of two starting freshmen players, the Brahmas accomplished six bagels out of the nine sets. Freshman and No.1 singles player Allen destroyed every opponent and managed to achieve the second “silver” set of the night. No.2 freshman single player Neil Tengbumroong, similarly to Chen, won all three of his matches in less than 30 minutes. Hamel would later substitute the bench players in the game in place of the starters.
“We are more determined than last year’s. They realized the potential they have and they are willing to be stronger for us than last year,” Hamel said.
With the Hacienda League in play, the Brahmas’ eyes are focused on the League title. Even though DB lost star Justin Yang to graduation, most of the players from the 2013 team are back for another year. The Brahmas are expected to be in the competition for the title and participate in the CIF playoffs.
“They should practice hard. If they practice hard and have fun, then winning is the result of it. So far, that is what they are doing. These guys want to be pushed and the end result of that will be a successful season,” Hamel said.
On Friday, the Brahmas defeated the Whitney Wildcats 14-4. DB has now advanced to an overall record of 6-1 and improve to 2-0 in Hacienda League.
