Varsity Girls’ Tennis Team Aspires for Upcoming CIF Playoff Matches

KEVIN KONG
Sports Editor

Although the varsity girls’ tennis team did not take the title last year, the Moors remain optimistic while preparing for their playoff games. With a season record of 3-5, the team exercises daily by practicing different types of strokes, techniques and often volleying with each other.

“I am confident [that], if the girls play to their full potential, we will be successful. [The team has been] playing well in close matches,” Head Coach Calvin Chow said.

To prepare for the upcoming games, Chow has been training the girls in order to find the best doubles combinations for the most practical lineups. In addition to the upcoming Almont League finals, the team has also been preparing to play in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) postseason playoffs, which includes teams from other leagues from Southern California.

“[The team can improve on] not focusing on past losses and focusing on how to improve by winning the next couple of matches,” captain Jessica Phung said.

Another issue that Phung pointed out was that several members of the varsity team were becoming ill, which affected the team’s focus and concentration and also helped contribute to losses at the start of the season. Nevertheless, Phung believes that the team is now back to its original health and can continue to work hard.

“Mentally, we need to stay focused and not let our losses affect us in future games. Physically, we are great,” junior doubles player Michelle Sum said.

The Almont League preliminaries took place on Oct. 25, however, the Lady Moors did not advance to the semi-finals.

Despite their loss in the Almont League prelimaries, the team is currently qualified for CIF playoff tournaments.

“I think we have a good chance [of winning] and it will be pretty close to the other teams,” captain Jessica Phung said.