Varsity Girls’ Tennis Serving Up Strides In Preseason

KEVIN KONG
Sports Editor
WILLIAM RODRIGUEZ
Staff Writer

After his 35th year of coaching in the San Gabriel Valley, Head Coach Calvin Chow finished his last season with the girls’ tennis team, earning a record of 3-5. Ranked third, the Moors brought three players, Catherine Hsu, Tiffany Chan and Monica Wu, to the Almont League Finals. Chan won second in the singles bracket, advancing to California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), but she was eliminated after facing the top ranked player of the tournament.

“[CIF] was a lot different from league finals. The players [there] are better and more experienced [than most people in our league]. In the second round, I played the top seed and I’m proud of winning the first game,” Chan said.

Following the postseason, the team returned to training by holding summer practices to strengthen fundamentals for returning players and newcomers. According to Chan, summer practices helped refine players’ techniques while teaching new ones for the upcoming preseason.

“The players are more experienced and [that] helps them. Their playing abilities improved over the last six months,” Chow said. “The team made strides to improve.”

Entering a new season, the Moors hold practices every weekday, focusing on fundamentals and eventually using those skills in real game situations. According to Wu, the team is working together by building a bond which last season’s team lacked. With more experience, the team has a better understanding of the game. The girls hope to solidify their skills, build on their strengths while improving their weaknesses and display what they have learned at their first preseason game on Sept. 12 against the John Burroughs Indians.