Law Helps Falcons Fly High On Tennis Court
"We hope to have a good year," said Jim Noland, Briar Woods High School's third year boys' tennis coach.
During the last season, the boys went out and impressively beat Handley High School, as well as Broadway High School. Both schools were undefeated, and at the time, BWHS was only a second year school. After finishing the regular season at 17-5, the boys claimed the Dulles District Tournament title. The Falcons advanced to the Region II playoffs, where they finished up as the Region II runners-up.
One of the many highlights of the Region II tournament was the dominant play of doubles partners Stephen Law and Patrick Melbourne; the two came up just one game short from advancing to the state tournament. They were beaten 5-2 by Western Albemarle High School, the eventual state champions, bringing their incredible run to an end.
"We take it one match at a time," said Mr. Noland. Now, in 2008, the Falcons have put together another impressive season. BWHS is returning their top five players from last season which include, Melbourne, Law, Patrick Ciullo, Kyle Slack and David Baroody. "The team is like a family," said Patrick Ciullo. "We're all really good friends and have played together for years. We are consistently getting better and are challenging each other to improve."
"The boys get along very well. They play hard against each other and against the other teams, but they do it with a good attitude," said Mr. Noland.
This year, senior Andrew Kim covered the number six spot, adding to an already senior dominated lineup. Returning player Ashon Chowdhardy reiterated Ciullo's sentiments about team improvement and being challenged from within. The Falcons entered this season as one of the toughest teams in the region, and with high hopes of claiming Briar Woods' first state championship. If they continue last season's dominance, there is no limit as to how good they can be. "We worked really hard this off-season and have practiced a lot so we can make a run at a state championship," said Melbourne. "Having been so close to a state championship last year, we know what its going to take to get to that level and we're working really hard to get there," said Ciullo.
As for top, standout players, Stephen Law has been leading the Briar Woods boys to their potential victory at Districts as the number one singles player and number one doubles player with Patrick Melbourne. Melbourne was Law's doubles partner for three years, initially as freshmen at Stone Bridge and as juniors and seniors at Briar Woods. Law fell in love with tennis when he was six years old, when his father would take him out to play. "The thing I love about tennis is that there is no other sport that combines the mental and physical aspect of sports better than this game." This year, his record is an incredible 13-2 in both singles and doubles. Law said, "I have always had coaches that have believed in me and have invested so much time and energy in helping develop my game. They have challenged me to take my game to the next level and without their help I could never have gotten to where I am now." Due to Law's remarkable year, he was one of the six Briar Woods students honored on Senior Day. Law aspires to play tennis in college, his goal since he began playing tennis twelve years ago.
Briar Woods High School boys started off this year's season with an impressive 7-2 win over Broad Run. Law, Ciullo, Slack, Kim and Melbourne all won their games for singles and Melbourne and Law won their doubles game. Through the next three games, they easily defeated Dominion, Freedom, and Heritage, respectively.
They remained undefeated until their fifth match of the season against George Mason. They played a close game resulting in Mason's 5-4 win. In the seventh game, they scored an amazing 60 points in singles, overshadowing the two points scored by Park View; the final game result was 8-1. Further matches against Broad Run and Dominion allowed the boys to rack up more points and keep them in good standing for the season. By the tenth game, the boys won 7-2 over previously undefeated Loudoun County, putting them in the number one spot for the Dulles District. During a 6-3 victory over Potomac Falls, Stephen Law won his match 10-4 over senior Andrew Morris, the best player in the district, who had been previously undefeated. The boys also won their last three games of the season allowing them to keep their position at the top of the Dulles District.
