Varsity Boys’ Tennis Optimistic for Approaching Games
During AHS varsity boys’ tennis April 1 match, number one singles player Arie Quintanilla went into a tiebreaker match during his game, but ended with a defeating score of 6-7.
MOOR Photo by SHANNON KHA
KEVIN KONG
Sports Editor
Ending the regular season last year with a losing record, the varsity boys’ tennis team looks forward to upcoming league matches. Despite having a relatively small team of six returners and five members bumped up from the JV team, the Moors have captured a total of three wins, making their preseason record 3-7. The team recently lost its first two Almont League games, but continues to train in preparation for future competitions.
“We are still not as experienced as we should be because a lot of us haven’t played more than one year of varsity. [However], we are not stopping our improvement [and] we are getting more consistent,” junior doubles Jonathan Ngo said.
Throughout the summer, the Moors practiced routinely to learn the fundamentals of the game of tennis. According to Head Coach Tom Jelsma, the team now practices in a different way, focusing on actual game play rather than on basic drills and technique. Each day, the team takes to the courts, warms up, works on individual drills and spends the remainder of the practice playing live-ball situations. Furthermore, the team also utilized the preseason by playing against a variety of teams to acquire new skills and solidify the singles and doubles lineup for future matches.
The team, though operating without a captain, still practices meticulously to progress in terms of both Almont League rankings and experience.
“I consider everybody a captain because I don’t like to single out one person. Everyone should be a leader in their own right. It’s tough because tennis is an individual sport and a team sport. By winning for yourself, you can win for the team,” Jelsma said.
As the team continues through the spring season, they anticipate big matches coming up against the Schurr Spartans, Montebello Oilers and San Gabriel Matadors.