The Dragons dominated in a 5-0 win against the Chelsea Lions on Monday, April 30. However, despite the win, the atmosphere in the 6th floor gym remained tense throughout the afternoon. As the game was going on, coach Robert Sandler held drills to work on the players’ explosiveness. After the meet, Sandler held scrimmages where the team’s seniors faced off against its underclassman.

The Dragons won all five games against the Lions despite the fact that none of the three team captains attended the game and only four regular starters played. “Kevin [Sheng] was sick, Jia Wei [Chen] was sick, and two of our starters had music stuff, but we still won,” Sandler said.

In the first singles match, senior Calvin Chong destroyed his opponent, winning the match 21-0. Chong had 13 aces in the match, each one greeted by cheers by teammates and spectators alike. In the second singles match, sophomore Long Yip won 21-4. In the third singles match, sophomore Wilson Luo won 21-7. While the Dragons easily returned balls, Chelsea players struggled to retrieve even the simplest of the Dragon’s serves. Rallies were usually short, with the Dragons controlling the matches throughout the meet.

Both doubles matches were lopsided as well. In the first doubles match, junior John Hu and freshman Marco Liu quickly dispatched their opponents 21-1. Liu had three aces, and Hu added another ace. In the second doubles match, juniors Cody Tong and Alexander Bu also won 21-3. The two combined for two aces.

Due to the absence of several players, Sandler used this game to give the team’s rookies and underclassmen opportunities to get playing time. “It is good for the young guys, and they enjoy playing,” Sandler said.

The team has historically been dominant in its division, but has faced problems in the playoffs when facing tough teams outside of their division. As the team wraps up the regular season, the Dragons are planning to scrimmage against stiffer competition to prepare for the increased competition they will face in the playoffs.

The Dragons were also victorious against the High School of Economics and Finance on Friday, May 4 by a score of 5-0, ending the regular season undefeated without losing a match. In the first round of the playoffs, the third seeded Dragons beat the 30th seeded JFK Campus Knights in a sweeping 5-0 victory on Monday, March 14.