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Boys' tennis: Falcons stay on top
The fact that Briar Woods boys' tennis beat Loudoun County 6-3 on a sunny afternoon April 24 in Ashburn was not surprising.The fact that the third-year Falcons have now defeated the Raiders, who are two years removed from a state title, in three consecutive matches is surprising.
Stephen Law and P.J. Melbourne, two of the six Falcons honored on Senior Day with prematch recognition and postmatch cake, contributed two victories apiece to the Briar Woods' effort.
Law, Briar Woods' No. 1, defeated lefty Peter Satagaj 10-4, while No. 2 Melbourne bested Jeremy Wetzel 10-3.
Melbourne and Law, best friends off the court and on, then combined to capture the Falcons' only doubles win, beating Satagaj and Wetzel 10-4 in a tournament-worthy match of fast volleys and accurate shot-making.
Both of County's losses this season have been to Briar Woods, which wraps up the regular season district title with the win.
"That's a nice team right there. They have some good hitters, and we knew that," said Falcons coach Jim Noland. "That was a tough, well-fought match, and Loudoun County played really well."
Raiders coach Randy Hanger, who led County to the 2006 state title and the 2007 regional semifinal, was sanguine.
"With losing my one and two from last year [David Replogle and Paul Marshall], I'm impressed that we played them this close," he said.
County's only singles victory came from Nathan Latka, who held off Brett Stockman 10-6 in the No. 6 matchup.
The Raiders did register two doubles victories, including Chris Czupak and Rob Allinson coming from behind to win 11-9 in a back-and-forth battle as sunlight faded.
Noland spoke of what makes Law and Melbourne a formidable duo.
"They're very close friends. They're not afraid to talk with each other," he said.
The two were Stone Bridge Bulldogs as freshmen before Briar Woods opened for business. Law became a Falcon while Melbourne wound up at Broad Run. They reunited last year as juniors, sparking the growth of Briar Woods boys' tennis.
"We have a lot of chemistry, and we're best friends off the court," Law said.
Melbourne agreed.
"One of the best things we do is communicate, and that helps us a lot." he said.
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