Head Coach: Florin Marica
Last year’s record: 11-3
Recap: Last season, the team placed second in the El Camino League behind Homestead. They lost in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) tournament and did not make it to CCS.
Key Matchups: Gunn, Palo Alto
Star Players: Seniors Viki Toram and Mihika Singh
Key losses to graduation: Natalie Poon
League: El Camino League
Prognosis:
Starting tryouts on Aug. 18, the girls’ tennis team had a large turnout of around 25 players. Sophomore Emily Troy and two freshmen, Molly Chen and Soha Khan, all earned spots on the team. Khan will compete at No. 3 singles, while Troy and Chen will play in exhibition matches during the season.
“It’s so rewarding to finally be able to play on a team, especially with Viki Toram, [the No. 1 tennis singles player in the school team], who I have played with in the past,” said Khan, who has been playing tennis competitively since she was in elementary school.
After a record of 11-3 last season, the team fell just short of returning to the more competitive De Anza Division for the second year in a row. Instead, Homestead moved up with a record of 13-1. This year, the team is preparing intensively in hopes of moving up.
The team is mostly seniors, and four of them are co-captains: Sasha Prasad and Advika Prashanth at No. 1 doubles, Mihika Singh at No. 2 singles, and Viki Toram.
During typical practices, they have been focusing on forehand and backhand drills to improve their accuracy and intensity.
“This season, I hope our team will be more intense and share the common goal of moving up a league,” Toram said. “For me personally, this year I’m able to put more focus on the school team.”
In her sophomore year, Toram did not play for the school team in order to focus on USTA, United States Tennis Association, tournaments; this season, however, she has decided not to play tournaments during the school tennis season.
With new strong players and a common goal, the team is optimistic for their coming season. Many players, like sophomore Aishi Prashanth, the No. 4 singles player, consistently practiced over the summer to go into the season strong. Prashanth practiced multiple times a week in clinics to improve her game.
“I have improved a lot because of my summer practice and I hope that it will show in my results. I have also noticed that a lot of my teammates have improved so I think there will be good results this year,” Prashanth said. “There is definitely a lot of pressure because we will lose a lot of players next year.”
