By By ADAM FISHER / Niles Daily Star
Brandywine's girls' tennis team swept through three opponents in three straight days last week. The 3-0 stretch included 8-0 victories over defending conference champion Edwardsburg and intra-city rival Niles.
One of the driving forces behind the strong week and the entire season has been No. 4 singles player and senior team captain Amber Valentine.
Valentine put on one of the most dominating performances of the week, winning all three matches in straight sets. She dropped just nine games in those six sets.
Her performance earned Valentine the Niles Daily Star Girls' Athlete of the Week award for the week of Aug. 29-Sept. 4.
Marazita said Valentine's performance this season is all the more impressive because she moved from doubles to singles this year. Last year was her first year playing high school tennis.
While her talent allowed her to rip through opponents last week, Marazita said Valentine has an extra edge on the tennis court because she is a two-sport athlete.
She also starts in left-field for Brandywine's perennially dominant softball team.
Valentine said the hard work she does for softball has helped her out in tennis. However, she enjoys playing on the tennis court more than the softball diamond, especially now that she's moved to singles.
While she said she has been working very hard to improve, Valentine acknowledged that the entire Bobcats' team has been on a tear this year. She is just one part of the whole.
Marazita agreed, saying that Valentine's success is a reflection of how well the team has done this season.