After being named champions in the 2023 Empire League, Girls’ Tennis has returned to the court with scores of 13-5 against Millikan High, 8-10 against Yorba Linda High, and 14-4 against Canyon High. Following their success from last year, when they defeated 19 of 22 schools, the girls’ tennis team moved up their rank from a DIII to DII. It’s safe to say that Girls’ Tennis continues to push themselves to another successful year.
With the advance in the school’s ranking, the level of competition has risen as well. This year the team is playing against more difficult Division II, but the team continues to strive to be successful in CIF. Miia Thomas, the Girls’ Tennis captain said, “One of my biggest goals for this year is as a team, I kind of want to see us make it really far into CIF…last year in CIF, because of how high we were ranked in Division II, we were put into some D1 schools and we made it past the first round and we lost second round–but this year they’re doing it completely different.” Along with the team’s competitive side, Girl’s Tennis also hopes to get to know each other over the season. Stacey Woo, the Girls’ Tennis captain said, “I think our overall goal other than that is bonding as a team and growing with one another.”
When it comes to student-athletes balancing their academic life and their personal life, it can take a lot of work to have enough time to give each the right attention. As a result of this, the girls’ tennis team has implemented a study hall where athletes can not only focus on their life outside the court, but also receive help from others who have already taken that class. This not only helps students learn from others, but also helps give students the chance to bond with their peers, both off and on the court. With the advantage of earning better grades individually, the team also aims to earn the Academic Championship which is one of their many targets for this year. Coach Joe Paul, the coach for the Girls’ Tennis team said, “One goal we have this year is to get an Academic Championship. So we do have a required sixth-period study hall…we do that so that they can help each other–tutor each other for those days they’re missing.”
With the season close to an end it is clear that the team continues to strive to have a good season with hard work and determination on the court.
