Local Editor
With an impressive win rate of 12-4, the Los Gatos High School Girls Tennis team is using the remainder of their 2022 season to ramp up for Central Coast Section (CCS) play. Captain Alex Varivoda reflected on the well-played season, commenting, “It was pretty good. We had our first round of CCS on [Nov. 10], and we were seeded so we are playing the second round.” Before the matches, Varivoda hoped for a win against Menlo Atherton and “a few wins against Cupertino.”
To prepare for the games, the team solidified their lineups, had practices for CCS players, and held countless practice matches. Senior varsity player, Yasmina Ikkawi, noted, “I’m excited to see how far we get and CCS this year especially with the team we have this year. We definitely have a way better chance this year than last year because our team is a lot stronger this year.” Junior Zoe Swanson, a passionate player, expressed her pride in her team, noting, “Our team is definitely way better [this year]. I do not know how far we will get in CCS to be honest, but we won [Silicon Valley Athletic League]. We got doubles first and second, and singles first.” Due to rain, their first match in CCS got postponed from Nov. 8 to Thursday, Nov. 10. The team played Menlo Atherton and sadly lost in valiantly played matches.
Varivoda revealed that the best development of the season was “figuring out what works best for doubles.” She commented on the changing of the lineup, saying that “[they] have been playing around with it to see who plays best where… We have four singles and three doubles and so we are trying to move around to get the optimal lineup to get the best possible outcome.”
Though the team had an impressive win rate, Varivoda believes that they could have done better over the course of the season if they had known the severity of out-of-league games. She noted, “We did not know our out-of-league matches counted against the overall record… I think we could have won some of the non-league matches if we knew that they counted over our records.”
The captain, who will soon pass down her mantle, had a few words for her beloved team. Varivoda explained that a captain needs to be, “patient. There are a lot of players and especially new players who do not know [what they are doing] coming in. There are a lot of random details, especially for tennis.” What helped Varivoda the most in her long captain career was focusing on team bonding.
Due to their rising success, the LG team hopes to move into the De Anza League next season.
Categories: School Sports, Sports