Usama Ehsan brought his aggressive style and cut-throat mentality to help bring victory to El Camino’s Men’s Tennis team in Wednesdays match against Long Beach City College.

“This win against LBCC symbolizes that we are out there and that we can become number one in our division,” Ehsan said.

The final score ended up being 6-3, which, according to tennis coach Steven Van Kanegan, is considered a “close match.”

“The boys played real well,” Van Kanegan said. “We had a real solid effort from the top of our latter, meaning our top three players.”

For EC’s Men’s tennis team, the top of the ladder includes players Usama Ehsan, Andrew “the Spear” Stier, and Sammy Macias.

“Overall we did well in our match on Wednesday but we could have done better,” Stier said.

An important factor to a good match is having stamina and for players like Stier that can be tough to overcome.

“I felt that I was prepared for the match but one thing I need to work on is my endurance,” Stier said. “During the long rallies I get quite fatigued.”

Ehsan and his teammates put on a good fight considering the losses they had with their prior two matches.

“Last Fridays match against Orange Coast College I suffered an Achilles strain,” Ehsan said. “Physically I was not prepared for our match against LBCC, but mentally I was down right brutal.”

A common trend for EC’s tennis team is letting out aggression during the matches in order to get into the opponents head, Stier said.

Before every match and during every practice the players work on specific tactics to prepare them for their upcoming matches and for Ehsan it’s all about getting up-close and personal.

“Before my most recent match with LBCC I practiced more on approach shots and volleys,” Ehsan said. “Approach shots give you more of an aggressive style and mentality by being able to show your opponent that you’re not afraid to get in their face.”

This certain method allows players to “dictate” the points throughout the match.

For Stier it’s not about aggression but about technique.

“The sports that I used to play, like golf and baseball, only allowed me to be more consistent with my backhand and Steve has been working with me a lot with being more comfortable with the forehand,” Stier said.

EC’s tennis team will have their chance to once again dominate over LBCC two more times this season as well as earning their chance to be number one in their division.