FALLS CHURCH -- Mills Godwin's Katie Blow accomplished a rare sweep of state girls tennis championships yesterday when she added the Group AAA singles and doubles crowns to the team title the Eagles won last weekend.

In the rich tradition of the Godwin girls program, Blow became first Eagles player to take the three titles in the same year since Lindsey Howard in 2002. Only seven other players since 1977 have made the singles and doubles sweep.

On a hot day at Jefferson District Park when her superior conditioning paid off, Blow turned back Kiersten Pappas of Loudoun Valley 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 in a match that lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes. Blow came back an hour later to cap her senior season, teaming with Nicole Parker for a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Linden Li and Alyssa Shames of Langley.

The victories left Blow with a 26-1 singles record this season, a 22-0 record in doubles with Parker, and satisfaction that eluded her last year when she lost in the state singles final.

"As it's my senior year, it was very special and it couldn't have come at a better time," Blow said.

Blow said she had beaten Pappas in a couple of Mid-Atlantic events but found Pappas had improved in the first set. Leading 5-4, Blow lost three set points, and Pappas rallied to take the set.

Seidenberg said the player he coached a year ago "might have lost the second set . . . but this year, she's more mature as a tennis player and has so much more determination, and that and her conditioning paid off."

Blow, who will play tennis for Virginia Tech next year, said she "rallied back and got my confidence in the second and third sets. . . . I was more consistent and started coming in more and being more aggressive."

Noting that the temperature climbed to the upper 90s by the end of the match, Seidenberg said Blow's triumph was a product of her work ethic.

"She's the best-conditioned athlete I've ever coached," he said, adding she's always been willing to "hit extra balls and do extra running. I don't think I've ever had a more deserving player considering how hard she's worked."

In doubles, Seidenberg noted that opponents often prefer to target Parker rather than Blow and that Parker, the daughter of assistant coach Eddie Parker, has handled that sort of attention well. Seidenberg said that there can be no weak link on an unbeaten doubles team and credited his assistant coach with mapping out strategy in singles and doubles.

BOYS

Eagles lose in doubles title match again

For the second straight year, Mills Godwin's Kyle Parker and Kevin Calhoun lost a three-set final against Drew Courtney and Stephen Hardy of Robinson at Jefferson District Park.

Courtney and Hardy came back from a second-set loss and defeated Parker and Calhoun 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.

Parker and Calhoun had beaten the Robinson pair in the state team final last week.