Girls tennis optimistic for new season despite loss of graduated players

Photo by Katelynn Ngo

Sophomore Thien Ni Vu works hard at practice, preparing for this season’s upcoming schedule of games.

This year, more than half the players on the girls tennis team are new, JV tennis coach and photography teacher Edmond Kwong said. Nevertheless, Kwong said he has high hopes for the season.

“It’s always fun to see what the new players can bring to the team and what type of team chemistry we can develop with them,” Kwong said. 

Senior Belinda Yan, who has been on the team all four years of high school — and has been playing tennis for eight years — also echoed these sentiments. 

“I’m just excited for the season in general, because I feel like we have a really strong team this year and a lot of dedicated people. I’m excited to see how we do this season,” Yan said.

Similarly, sophomore Thien Nhi Vu has also been playing tennis since she was 11 years old. Vu has only been able to be on the team for two years, but has enjoyed the experience so far.

“Last year, I didn’t know what to expect, but this year I [do],” Vu said. “[There’s] just good vibes with everyone in the whole team. It’s a better experience when you’re playing with girls your age.”

Currently, the team is having daily practices to prepare for games and are working hard to get ready for the El Camino Division.

“We’ve had pretty successful teams in the past, so I think the girls know that we have high standards and they’re going to try really hard to meet the standards,” Kwong said.  “One good thing for us this year is that we are playing in the El Camino Division, so it’s basically the lower division of Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, so we should do quite well in the league this year.”