Girls’ tennis: Falcons fall to Cupertino in CCS, ending a season handicapped by injuries

Coming off of a 11-7 league record during the regular season, the girls’ tennis team was determined to make a strong final effort during the Division 1 CCS competition, but their hopes fell short to a tough Cupertino team.

The Falcons were the fifth seed in the bracket and received a bye for the first round. On Nov. 6, they beat Silver Creek at home 7-0.

On Nov. 8, the Falcons went on to face Cupertino in an away match, where they fell 5-2. The team’s journey through CCS came to a close in the quarterfinals, a disappointment compared to last year’s CCS, where the team lost to Saint Francis in the semi-finals.

With top player Rini Vasan unable to play from a torn wrist and No. 2 singles player Monica Stratakos out of the competition due to a leg injury, the team was already severely handicapped before CCS.

“The team had been working especially hard this season even though we didn’t have our top two players,” doubles player Sanya Kwatra said. ”Even though we didn’t make it as far as we had hoped in CCS, I’m proud of the team and the work we’ve done this season.”

To compensate for missing talent, the Falcons pushed up each player two positions to fill the void left by the missing top players. As a result of this, the team roster was greatly affected, with playing who previously had been training for doubles facing a tough singles match.

Cupertino’s performance in the tournament was also fierce, with its team going on to face Los Gatos in the finals. (The Wildcats won the competition.) In addition to missing players, this strong opponent proved to be an obstacle that the Falcons were not quite well equipped to overcome.

“We were put in a difficult position without two best players benched from several injuries,” doubles No. 1 Vivian Lin said. “Hopefully, next year, we’ll have Monica back in good shape.”

On Nov. 6, the Falcons faced Silver Creek at SHS. The Falcons were able to dominate the match with a 7-0 win, which advanced the team to the quarterfinals.

Even with the loss to Cupertino, the Falcons enjoy a strong team history and culture. Players feel that they had worked extra hard this season to make up for the lost talent.

“I’m really looking forward to see what the team will accomplish next season,” Lin said.