The Bakersfield College Women's Tennis Team (7-0, 1-0) was a little disjointed to begin 2017, with Coach Nick Loudermilk shuffling the lineup for competitive reasons, including bumping 2016 #1 Riley Tucker down to #2, and placing freshman Paige Darstein in the top spot.
But Thursday night, individuals had disappeared and were replaced by a very cohesive team that beat Glendale College (1-1, 0-1) 6-3.
"It was really fun, it was amazing actually," Darstein said, "I got to play with my high school teammate Chloe Moreno at the college level and clinch a big win for our team."
Darstein and Moreno won their doubles match before the completion of the other two contests, and their teammates-the ones not playing in doubles matches, began to cluster on the side of their court when it became apparent that the team win was imminent.
"This is the biggest win this program has seen in quite some time, and I knew our team was mentally tougher than some of the other teams, so I'm not surprised this happened," Coach Nick Loudermilk said.
The women are coming off two wins in San Diego against San Diego City and Mesa respecitively, but they also had another win together that strengthened their bonds.
"I found an 'Escape Room' within walking distance of our hotel, and I thougth it would be a fun way to pass some time in the evening," Loudermilk said.
The 'Escape Room' is an attraction that forces groups to use teamwork to solve smaller challenges on the way to unfolding a larger mystery that will allow them to escape the locked room they are in.
"And we figured it out with just forty seconds left on the clock. You only have an hour," Darstein explained.
Settled into their roles, these women sound ready for any challenge that comes their way, as long as they get to face it as a team.
BC plays at Santa Barbara on Valentine's Day, with their next home match coming on Tuesday, February 21st as they host Orange Coast College at 2pm.