Waking up bright and early, the boys tennis team arrived at Sanlando Park at 7 a.m. on April 13 for the district tournament. Lines one through five singles and lines one and two doubles went against tough opponents in the first round, and did not make the cut into the semifinals, ending the season for the team.
For the eight schools playing in the tennis district tournament, all players are ranked in lines. The top four players in each line are matched against the lower ranks—five, six, seven and eight— who are put into a pool and randomly drawn. With none of the boys being ranked, they faced challenging players in the first round.
“The biggest challenge this year for districts would be the competitors who had a lot of experience,” coach Madelyn Escudero said.
Outside of the high school team, higher-level players can improve their play and their ranking from tournaments which can mimic the district style match play.
Although the boys did not secure a win, they ended the season with a fight and are looking forward to a new season. Players find that going in with a good mentality makes the outcome enjoyable, no matter what the score ends up being.
“I go in with a positive attitude and try not to think about losing or what might happen,” senior Jerry Liu said. “[I] just focus on myself and what I need to do to be consistent.”
Liu played line four singles and lost, 6-2, 6-1. He also played doubles with line three junior Angad Bagga, falling 6-0, 6-0 against Seminole.
“I had some good hits and the points were long,” Liu said. “During doubles, I feel like my volleys were pretty good today.”
The team has three seniors, all of whom are on the lineup. With the loss of half the lineup, the team will have new opportunities next year for those trying out or younger players. Consistent practice and outside training is a great way to ensure a spot on the team.
The team ended the season with a record of 4-8, placing themselves fourth in the district. Although they ended early in the district tournament, the team entered with a strong mentality and followed their motto of “attitude is everything.”
“I was really proud of how our team carried themselves with composure and sportsmanship,” Escudero said.
