After starting off strong early in the season last year, the girls’ tennis team finished in 2nd place in the Cypress division of the PCAL. This year they are looking to improve, as they adjust to some new faces.
Despite 4 girls leaving due to graduation, they have a solid team consisting of returning seniors Teresa Ochoa, Marisol Botello, and Heidy Carrillo Bello; and juniors Yumalay Ramirez, Jazlene Meza, Marisol Mederos, Allison Amaro, and Esmeralda Alejandre.
Last year’s coach, Denise Zazueta Aispuro decided to focus on school, so boys’ coach (and former girls’ coach) Isaac Santa Cruz stepped up, but was placed in a tough predicament. “This season I had to pick between doing photography or helping the girls and I chose to come coach for the girls,” he said.
While he wanted to improve on last year’s finish, the team went 7-7 and in 4th place, so the bigger goal now is to get them ready for PCAL. “We have to focus on getting the girls ready for a tournament (PCAL),” he said. His focus is on the two doubles teams we will send, which are Meza and Mederos, the “dynamic duo”, and Ochoa and Ramirez, who usually play singles.
Meza and Mederos have high hopes as they have been putting in the work which is apparent through their current ranking in the league which is number 3. “I think we’re gonna do good, hopefully, we’ve been training hard, so hopefully we at least get through the first set of matches (first round),” Mederos said.
Individually, Ochoa and Ramirez have done well in establishing themselves as the number 1 and number 2 singles players. However, they also have done a good job as a duo. “Two years ago when I coached girls tennis, Teresa and Yumalay played doubles and they were really good,” Santa Cruz said. He knows that if Ochoa and Ramirez combine their abilities then they can be a good duo that can potentially win in PCAL. The girls themselves believe they can do good as long as they start thinking as a team. “We definitely want to at least win the first game rather than just getting eliminated real quick,” Teresa said. They did however, admit that there are specific things they need to work on such as communicating more effectively by calling out the ball.
Regardless of their record and their eventual place in the league, the girls have managed to make time to continue strengthening connections with each other. “I feel like our team is stronger because we communicate more and we socialize more with each other and it’s not just focusing on the sport, but also we come together as a community,” Esmeralda Alejandre said.
The community they have built has made this season more meaningful for the seniors as it will be their last season. Marisol Botello, a senior who plays doubles with junior Allison Amaro, is among one of the girls who wants to make the best of this year. “I’m just trying to enjoy it as much as I can,” said Botello. This bittersweet feeling was also felt by her other senior teammates.“It’s kinda sad because any time something fun happens or I’m really enjoying being in the moment, then I remember I’m not going to have this moment again,” Ochoa said.
