Watching the Albion College women’s tennis team’s doubles pairs compete, a person who has never seen the team before could get the impression that they’re fooling around and not focusing.

The Britons laugh and even occasionally chat with fans who are courtside between games.

But those familiar with the Britons know this is just a part of their success. They’re focused on what needs to be done, but at the same time they’re loose and having fun.

That’s the mark of a team that went undefeated in MIAA regular-season play and is looking to wrap up its second consecutive league title this weekend at the MIAA tournament in Holland. The championship would also be an unprecedented third in four years for Albion.

"I think we all really look forward to each match," said Betsy Netherton, Glen Arbor senior. "We know how good we are as individuals and as a team."

Netherton and Katie Tornga, East Grand Rapids senior, are the backbone of the program. They, along with Amy Esh, Whitehall senior, make up coach Scott Frew’s first recruiting class and Frew doesn’t downplay their impact on the program.

"It’s really cool to see that first class come in and get to the point where they’re now leading," Frew said. "The first class kind of turned the whole program around."

Before the current seniors arrived, Albion’s lone league title came in 1954 and it shared the crown with Kalamazoo in 1993.

Netherton didn’t anticipate such success when she came to Albion in 2002.

"I honestly didn’t know what to expect," she said. "No, there was no way I thought we were going to win three MIAA championships."

By saying "three MIAA championships" Netherton isn’t predicting anything. She’s just confident. Frew said that’s one of the reasons for Albion’s success. Every team member believes in herself and her teammates.

"We’re confident, but we don’t take anything for granted," Frew said.

According to Emily Gundersen, Whitehall sophomore: "We’re never ever going to overlook an opponent if we’re supposed to beat them or not. We’re going to take them seriously and with confidence and that’s how we’re going to win another MIAA championship."

To fully understand just how good Albion’s team chemistry is, one must watch the doubles teams play. By no means do those who play together have similar personalities or even styles of play. But put them together and they thrive.

Netherton and Gundersen have been playing together for two years now. Gundersen is an emotional, energetic power player. Netherton is the silent assassin. Her ground strokes rarely miss their intended spot.

The pair is so comfortable with each other that before some points they’ll decide to switch sides of the court in the middle of the point to confuse their opponents.

"We balance each other out," Gundersen said. "Our differences balance each other and that’s how we’re able to play together."

Heading into tomorrow’s league tournament, Gundersen and Netherton were 13-3 overall and 6-0 in the MIAA. Albion’s No. 2 doubles pair of Tornga and Emily Stocker, Holt junior, was 16-3 and the No. 3 doubles combination of Vicky Seiter, Grosse Pointe sophomore, and Mara Rendina, Monroe first-year, was 11-5.

"There is good chemistry," Frew said. "We were lucky we were able to set things (the doubles teams) early in the year. It gave them a chance to get confident with each other."

Now the whole team is confident that on Saturday Albion will be crowned MIAA champions. And nobody wanted to say it outright, but it can’t be denied: with good recruits coming in every year, Albion is becoming what some might call a dynasty.

"It’s one of those things that’s best left unsaid but everyone know it’s probably going to happen," Gundersen said.

Added Frew: "I think we’re a good program, a respected program, so we should keep going forward."