On the day of perhaps the most important match of the season, one that would secure the No. 1 seed for the team in CCS, it wouldn’t have been difficult to find girls running around on the tennis court in pajamas with fanny packs and visors.
The girls’ tennis team not only hosted a lively senior day on Oct. 26, but also outplayed Monta Vista, beating them 5-2. This win led to their spot as No. 1 in the league and in CCS, which started this week. The girls were on top as the season ended, but it will be a challenge to stay there.
“It’s good to be on top of the totem pole, but you also have a big target on your back. The other teams are working harder to knock you off,” said head coach Tom Uyehara.
Although the players are excited about being the team to beat, many also have concerns about playing well and staying humble.
“Being the No. 1 seed gives us the easy route, but we can’t let it go to our heads because we are expecting a lot from us,” said senior No. 2 doubles player Mary Edman.
Many are looking forward to how they will perform in the CCS where there are more challenging teams to play against.
“I am really excited for CCS, since it is my senior year and our team has been doing so well so far. Our team has the talent, we just need to all put it to good use,” said Edman.
Junior No. 2 singles player Crystal Yen thinks that in the end, they will win CCS but not without some close matches against Menlo, Mitty and Monta Vista.
The individual SCVALS tournament took place on Nov. 2 and 3. Yen represented singles by placing first, beating the No. 1 Monta Vista singles player Sylvia Li, who has been recruited by Harvard.
“My serving game was especially good that day, and I was excited I won because Sylvia has won the tournament for the past two years now,” said Yen.
Representing doubles, Edman and sophomore Nikki Bedekar performed well on the first day of SCVALS by beating the No. 2 seed in a three-set match.
“When we played Jodi and Kelsey, we didn’t get into a groove right away but we eventually did. That was one of the best matches that we’ve ever played as a team. When I play better teams, I usually play much better and vice versa,” said Edman.
Although starting off strong, Edman and Bedekar eventually fell to their demise when they played the Los Altos doubles team, and ended up placing fourth. The other doubles players, juniors Sarah Lum and Lisa Asai, placed third.
“The problem right now with our team is that we have three injured players on our team and we all have to practice without overdoing it. Otherwise, if we are not all healthy, CCS will be difficult,” said Edman.
Yen is moving on the the CCS individuals competition in which she wants to at least make the finals since she had previously placed third last year.