Top-40 duo a hit on tennis court

The end of last season brought together an enterprising doubles tandem that remains a force for the Cal Poly women’s tennis team.

Sophomores Brittany Blalock and Steffi Wong, the Mustangs’ No. 1 doubles team, was ranked 38th in the country in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll and now stands at 17-6 overall and 8-3 in dual action this season.

“(What makes them really dynamic) is their ability, team chemistry and how they work together,” said Cal Poly assistant coach Paige Esparza. “The explosiveness of both of them makes for a great doubles team.”

Blalock, the 2006-07 Big West Conference Freshman of the Year, went 21-15 last year in singles and in doubles and is 13-8 overall as the Mustangs’ No. 1 singles player this season.

Wong, the Mustangs’ No. 2 singles player, earned 2006-07 All-ITA Scholar Athlete honors and is now 11-11 overall by herself this season.

Together, the auspicious duo has enjoyed not only individual accolades, but last season was widely recognized for its upset of Fresno State’s then-No. 13 pairing of Melanie Gloria and Tinesta Rowe.

“I just love the sport,” Blalock said. “I played hard, worked really hard and was fortunate enough to get a scholarship.”

Hailing from Indian Wells, Blalock comes from parents who both participated in collegiate sports at the University of Redlands, where her father played football and her mother played tennis.

Blalock, 19, has been playing competitively since she was 8. She played as a singles player through middle school and high school to receive a college scholarship.

“I chose Cal Poly on the basis of a great location, a really good coach and a really good team,” the business major said. “I thought I would fit in both academically and athletically.”

The last year has given Blalock solid experience and growth in doubles competition.

“I’ve improved so much in doubles the past year,” she said. “I started playing with Steffi at the end of last year and we just clicked. Now I’m really excited to play doubles. It’s strange how things switch like that.”

Wong, a 20-year-old biomedical engineering major from Markham, Ontario saw similar benefits in Cal Poly.

“I’m not sure how (Mustangs head coach Hugh Bream) and I started talking,” Wong said. “I hadn’t heard about Cal Poly, but once I started talking to the coach and the team, and I saw the school, it had all the aspects I wanted in a school and a team.”

Tennis wasn’t such an early, immediate love for her, though.

After trying numerous sports, including swimming and soccer, Wong found a great match on the court.

“For some reason tennis just stuck,” she said. “I played a couple tournaments but nothing serious until I met (Toronto, Ontario coach) Casey Curtis when I was 13,” Wong said. “He’s been the biggest influence in my tennis career – he pushed me really hard to work at tennis and see where I could go.”

Bream and Esparza are grateful for the dynamics between their most highly touted twosome.

Wong, they say, is seen as the more assertive of the two, while Blalock is more quietly relentless.

“They’re a very potent combination,” Bream said. “Steffi really loves the tactical aspects of the game. She has a good combination of power and finesse. Brittany loves to go out there and fight and do whatever she can to win every single match. She’s got a fantastic return serve. As a team they’ve got good power – they make a lot of balls and they fight for every point.”

A teammate of theirs, sophomore Diane Filip, added that while each is a strong competitor, their strengths vary slightly.

“Brittany’s very strong from the baseline,” she said. “Steffi’s really strong at the net. With time, both of them will get better at what they’re good-but-not-great at by learning from each other. That’s what we do as a team – learn from each other.”

Though the duo, which opened the season ranked 22nd, started off a bit rough, they eventually found a commanding, effective rhythm.

They each are quick to point out the respective strengths within their union.

“She’s really strong and an all-around competitive player,” Blalock said of Wong. “I know she has such strong volleys and serves, and it makes me more comfortable at the net.”

Wong returns the complimentary nod.

“We have so many weapons,” Wong said. “(Brittany) has a really big serve so it’s easy for me to be aggressive at the net. Whenever we play other teams, we’re always more aggressive than they are and it puts a lot of pressure on them.”

The Mustangs (8-6), who are yet to lose at home and upset No. 36 Washington State 4-3 Tuesday, have won four matches in a row and six of their past seven.

They host Gonzaga at 1:30 p.m. today at Mustang Courts as they continue to prepare for the Big West Conference Championships, held in Indian Wells from April 25 to 27.

“I feel we had a really good start this season,” Blalock said. “We got a lot of good experience and we’re about a third of the way through the season. I’m excited about the rest of the year.”