Bulldogs roll to win
Jim Riggio
It was supposed to be a close battle between two traditional
intercity boys’ tennis powers.
But Tuesday’s nonleague match between Burbank and Glendale highs
was anything but close, as the Bulldogs came away with a 14-4 victory
at Glendale.
Despite the win, Burbank (3-3) didn’t impress Bulldog Coach Paul
McNiff.
“They need to focus on every point on getting to the net,” McNiff
said of his doubles teams. “We’ve worked on things in practice and
it’s not being executed in matches.”
Burbank was victorious in seven of nine doubles sets, as the No. 1
team of James Chang and Ara Baghdasarian won, 6-2, against the
Glendale No. 1 duo of Matt Chiriboga and Peter Ambartsumayn. The
Bulldogs also defeated the Nitro No. 2 team of Steve Kim and Paul
Shin, 7-5, and the No. 3 team of Narek Postadzhyan and Arbi Vartan,
6-0.
“We won a lot in doubles today, but I’m not pleased,” McNiff
said. “In order to beat the good teams, we have to play almost
flawless.”
Burbank has already played a tough nonleague schedule, having lost
to CIF Southern Section powers Brentwood, L.A. Loyola and Calabasas.
For the Nitros (4-2), it was a struggle, especially in singles,
where three freshmen started.
Burbank No. 1 Haig Kassabian went 6-3 against Glendale No. 1 Mike
Youn, 6-1 against No. 2 Greg Arutyunyan and 6-1 against No. 3 Ararat
Avetisyan -- who replaced Edgar Khovakimyan in the Nitro lineup.
Glendale is gearing up for league play, as the Pacific League race
is wide open now that Hoover -- the defending CIF Southern Section
Division I champion -- doesn’t return five of its top returning
players.
“Arcadia is probably going to be the top team, so they’re the one
we’ll gun for,” Glendale team captain Steven Kim said. “Our team has
improved from last year. We have some good freshmen players and we’re
looking to bounce back.”
Burbank will face Valencia in two weeks in what figures to be a
match that could decide the Foothill League title. Valencia ended
Burbank’s 14-year league-title streak last year.
“I think we’ve both gotten weaker,” McNiff said. “It’s going to
come down to doubles.”