By Betty Kaldas
On Tues. Apr. 14, the Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) Barons fought against the Marina High School (MHS) Vikings. After a hard fought battle, the Barons unfortunately lost the game with a score of 5-18.
Starting off the game with the usual mixed doubles matches, varsity captains Ethan Thai and Lynna Tran competed against their opponents first. Their match was an engaging one, as their opponents were well-matched in terms of both skill and speed. Thai managed the back half of the court with precise overhand hits, while Tran took over the front half using quick underhand hits over the net that won them most of their points. In the end, their efforts were rewarded as they won with an overall score of 21-15.
Meanwhile, the second mixed doubles team fought just as hard but weren’t so lucky. Senior Atharva Rao and junior Sage Nguyen were also well-matched to their opponents, but struggled to keep up with the Vikings’ fierce defenses. After a well-fought game, Rao and Nguyen lost with a score of 18-21.
Following the mixed doubles matches were girl’s singles matches. Representing the girls stood freshman Keira Chan and Tran. Both Chan and Tran fought their hardest against their opponents, using all their strength and skill to combat the trained Vikings. Both matches were close to victory, but concluded with scores of 17-21 and 14-21 respectively.
Boys’ singles came after the girls’ singles. The boys had better luck in comparison, as they won a majority of their matches in the singles section. Playing for the boys stood junior Ares Nguyen and Thai. Using the same power and haste in his doubles match, Thai played with ferocity against his opponent. The match ended quickly, with a winning score of 21-8. Nguyen played similarly, executing quick and powerful moves with ease as he played his opponent. His match ended with a score of 21-10.
After mostly losses and a couple wins, the Barons continued playing their best as the game transitioned to the girls doubles matches. Two pairs battled in the section, with junior Chloe Do and Nguyen together and sophomore Trish Nguyen and senior Effie Chen together. Their strength and swiftness went unrewarded as they fought through their respective matches and ended with scores of 12-21 and 9-21.
The last section of the game, the boys’ doubles matches, had similar luck to the girls except for one win made by junior Trevor Phoung and Rao. The pair made a great team as they used their respective strengths in the game to overpower their opponents just enough to win. Phoung and Rao ended with a score of 21-13.
The Barons next home game will take place on Tues. Apr. 28, where FVHS will battle Cypress High School on the court.
