NCS regroups, ends Bullis's run

Stephen Ball checks in with an ISL tennis update...

A week after suffering their second straight decisive loss, National Cathedral tennis coach Kendall White knew her team needed a spark. White implored the Eagles in a pre-match speech Tuesday to step up their game; they’d been hit by injury and illness, but the time for excuses was over.

The talk had the desired effect: Led by two-time All-Met senior Natalie Blosser, National Cathedral (7-4) upset previously undefeated Bullis, 5-2.

Blosser, the two-time reigning Independent School league singles champion, held a distinct power advantage in her match with junior Ama Osei, one of the top young players in the area, and used an improved serve and an inside-out forehand to repeatedly attack Osei’s backhand. Though Osei held her own with a mixture of high lobs and backspin that worked well on NCS’s clay courts, Blosser attacked at every opportunity and kept Osei on the defensive, winning 10-5.

The match of the day belonged to seniors Marjorie Baker of NCS and Bullis’s Ariel Burke. Baker, ranked fifth in the U.S. Tennis Association Mid-Atlantic region girls’ under-18 division, came into the match undefeated but was put to the test against the heavy-hitting Burke. Baker powered the ball deep to the corners, finally wearing Burke down to win, 10-8.

NCS swept the doubles matches when Emily Stephen and Bridgette Morrison defeated Victoria Keogal and Merideth King, 10-0 at No. 1 doubles and Nikki Prue and Katherine Nabel defeated Iman Pahdaui and Kristin Frye, 10-6 at No. 2. Monica Cogo and Charlotte Russell defeated Margoux Richman and Morgan Cantz 10-6 at No. 3.

Bullis (8-1) took Nos. 3 and 4 singles with Darien Sears defeating Caroline Baker, 10-3 and Ariel Holness defeated Sheriden Renzi, 10-1.

Blosser Deciding

After receiving full scholarship offers from more than 15 Division I programs, Blosser has narrowed her list to Harvard, Virginia and Georgia Tech. Blosser expects to make her decision in the coming weeks, possibly as soon as this weekend.