“This is what it’s all about.”
That was the sentiment head coach Doug Stone echoed during the girls’ tennis senior night on Tuesday, Oct. 21, after their game against Sequoia High School. For Stone, the 7-0 sweep was simply a bonus to the sense of community the team had built, evident by the crowd of players, friends, and family gathered at the ceremony.
“It’s great that they won, but at the end of the day, it’s just seeing them really come together and have a great time, enjoy the experience, be out there. It was a great day,” Stone said.
Since their narrow 4-3 victory on Tuesday — which placed the squad in a second-place tie with Aragon — the team has continued to maintain its position at the top of the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) Bay Division. Stone said during the match against Sequoia High School, players excelled at fundamental skills, like serving and returning, as they have been throughout the season.
“We’ve worked on the fundamentals a lot this year, just really thinking about keeping balls in play, one more ball in play. We talk often about how important the serve is and the return,” Stone said. “Across the board today, I even saw it done really, really well at three doubles today.”
Senior Lyra Sheng, who won her No. 3 singles match 6-2 and 6-0, said a highlight of the team’s performance was patience and determination in long rallies.
“I saw some really elegant rallies. When you have a long rally, you really need to be patient, or else you might end up making a mistake,” Sheng said. “So I saw a lot of really nice long rallies where they were patient and then waited for their moment to attack.”
For senior and second-year team member Katie Jarrett, who won her No. 2 doubles match with junior Fiona Larlarb 6-2 and 6-0, the ceremony was a bittersweet experience.
“I only started as a junior, so it’s only my second year on the team, but still, I feel like it was a really great community, and I feel very sad that I won’t be able to play next year,” Jarrett said.
Performance-wise, Jarrett said a strength in her match with Larlarb was staying strong and reducing mistakes.
“We were kind of minimizing unforced errors for the most part. And also, I think we did a good job not playing down,” Jarrett said.
Jarrett also said the team’s support system has been motivating throughout the season.
“Everyone just has such high spirits all the time. Shouting out a fellow teammate, Lyra Sheng, she’s just like the heart and soul of this team, and she has such great energy at all times. But so does everyone. Everyone has such great energy,” Jarrett said.
At No. 3 doubles, senior Scarlett Gemmer also had a memorable senior night experience with a first-set comeback in her doubles match with sophomore Fabiana Sarubbi. Gemmer said she and her partner worked on staying out of their own heads to overcome the point deficit. Having played with Sarubbi all season, she said one of the highlights has been connecting with players from different grade levels.
“It felt really special to have created a good connection with someone in another grade level,” Gemmer said.
The team ended their season Thursday, Oct. 23, defeating Mills High School to end up with a record of 11-3. They will continue on to the PAL Team and Individual tournaments, which will potentially qualify them for the Central Coast Section championships.
