Girls’ Tennis swings through CCS

By Daniel Kokoski

“We were really prepared. We just didn’t come in there and play our best game that day.” solemnly affirmed Coach Alex Nguyen.

After their first CCS (Central Coast Section) match on Nov. 8 at Independence High School , the Girls’ Tennis team lost 4-3 against Santa Catalina School’s tennis team.

“The CCS match was really close. I think we all played really well, but we didn’t win.” concluded Co-Captain Kelly Chau.

According to the co-captains of the team, there were numerous factors that led to the loss of the game, such as the lack of private coaching and lack of funding.

“If we had funding, we would be able to buy new nets because our nets are sagging, new windbreakers, new balls,” acknowledged Chau.  “The schools that we play against that also get into CCS, most of their players have private coaching outside of school, like Santa Catalina.  They all have special programs while we don’t have that.”

Consequently, Santa Catalina’s team proved to be a formidable adversary for the Girls’ Tennis team.
“The (Santa Catalina) team we were playing against was really good.  They were really successful in their season before (CCS started), so it’s just a matter of who was better (at tennis overall),” explained Co-Captain Tiffany Nguyen.

Despite the team’s loss, the team remained positive and felt proud of their hard work.

“It’s kind of bittersweet, but I’m really proud of everyone because we really improved over the season,” optimistically reassured T. Nguyen.

Prior to the first CCS match, the team had been practicing hard and diligently for the first CCS game.

“We practiced every weekday until 6 pm.  There’s a lot of different kinds of drills; we hit ground strokes, and there’s volley drills, serve drills,” elaborated T. Nguyen.

Along with intense practice, the team became more connected and full of spirit.

“This year everyone is more involved in practices.  A lot more people came to practice and they actually enjoyed it,” positively remarked senior Varsity member Cindy Ke.

Nevertheless, the team planned to organize a banquet in order to celebrate the team’s hard work and achievements.