Fourteen of Bellaire’s varsity tennis players dominated in a district tournament victory at Westbury High School on Sept. 24 and 25. The team placed first in the tournament overall, beating three other schools – Heights, Westside and Lamar.

This tournament was the first of the season and Bellaire’s fourth win out of its last six times competing in districts since varsity coach Anthony Kirk took over the program.

The tournament was also sophomore Raya Jogi’s second time playing in team districts for Bellaire. Going into her games, Jogi was raring to play.

“I’m excited,” Jogi said. “Districts are always super fun because everyone’s together, so it’s kind of a community-building and team experience.”

Jogi focused on each upcoming point, brushing off her mistakes.

“You should be thinking about all the great shots you’re hitting,” Jogi said. “Even if it’s [fewer] than the terrible shots.”

This was freshman Connor Chu’s first team district tournament.

“I’m pretty nervous and stressed,” Chu said. “I don’t really know the format or how the players can play.”

As the only freshman on the team to attend districts, Chu faced mental roadblocks.

“I could be intimidated by other members, fearful of missing the ball, or [I could] just [struggle with] overall confidence,” Chu said.

However, Kirk wanted his players to enjoy the tournament rather than stress over it.

“If you’re not having fun, there’s no reason to play,” Kirk said. “So bottom line, that’s the only thing that really matters.”

However, the win did not initially look like it would come easily. Bellaire needed to beat its rival Lamar, the final roadblock in the Cardinals’ path to the championship.

During the tournament, Bellaire players were down 5-4, in total matches, against Lamar but steadily gained ground and took the lead 9-7 with four matches left to go.

“We were losing all four matches,” Kirk said. “[We] had to win at least one.”

That key match of the tournament came down to senior Alen Polatbekov’s singles match against Lamar. A win would crown Bellaire the district champion.

Polatbekov defeated his opponent, crowning Bellaire the champion in a 10-7 victory. However, during the match, Polatbekov’s opponent’s leg began to cramp, making it difficult for him to play.

Bellaire had trouble celebrating the win knowing their opponent was at a disadvantage.

“I felt really bad for the other guy because he looked like he was in so much pain, he was shaking, and [I felt] super bad for him,” Jogi said. “But [we wanted to celebrate] because there’s a lot of seniors on our team, so it meant a lot to them too, since it’s their last year.”

Even with the challenges and struggles they faced, Kirk emphasized how proud he was of his players.

“They just locked in. You could see them change the way they were playing to try to figure out what they needed to do to win the match,” Kirk said. “They adapted and said, ‘Let me try a different style of play.’ It was good to see my players thinking on the court.”

After winning the championship, Kirk had one last thing to say:

“Hashtag beat Lamar.”

Because of their performance, varsity tennis will face Jersey Village in the first round of bi-districts on Oct. 7.