Boys’ tennis: Team finishes second in league, prepares for CCS

The  match against Homestead on March 30  was tied at 3-3 as the final, game-deciding match began between the No. 1 singles players. Senior Kailas Shekar won that match and gave the Falcons a 4-3 win over the Mustangs, helping them preserve their second-place position in the De Anza League.

As the regular season ended, the boys still clung to second in league behind Monta Vista, earning a qualifying spot for CCS. To finish off the league season, the boys defeated the Wildcats at Los Gatos High 5-2 on April 18, finishing with with a league record of 10-2. Their only two losses were to the highly talented Matadors.

The boys were scheduled to compete in CCS on May 3 and then continue on with matches on May 5, May 8, May 10 and May 12 if they advance. The team expects to play tough matches including St. Ignatius, Monta Vista, Bellarmine and Menlo High. They are seeking to avenge two earlier losses.

“We are practicing new strategies and partner pairings and are also working on volleys and serves since those are two big parts of doubles,” said the No. 2 doubles player, Tristan Xiao. “By improving these aspects in the doubles games, I think we will have a much stronger team going into CCS.”

The Falcons are expecting to play Monta Vista for the third time in the semifinals and are looking forward to another chance to beat them after their strong improvements in doubles.

“I think we definitely have a good chance to win CCS,” Xiao said. “We have a lot of great players at singles and guys with good potential at doubles so if we all step up, we definitely have a shot of winning it all. The guys have improved tremendously throughout the season, especially our doubles. Their volleys have improved and they have been implementing new strategies.”