By Myra Chen
On Thursday Sept. 29, the FVHS girls’ varsity tennis team competed against Corona del Mar (CdM) and finished with a 5-13 loss. Showing great sportsmanship, head coach Harshul Patel and the Lady Barons view their result with a positive outlook.
Proud of his team’s performance, Patel views their victories to be more tremendous than their losses.
“Though we lost five to thirteen, CdM is ranked fourth in SoCal, so we did good compared to the other games. We faced many close matches and I’m really with the score,” Patel said. “Our doubles line up was especially strong. In my opinion, Kendra [Ly] played really good, it was her first time playing doubles.”
Freshman Kendra Ly held her own, despite losing 1-6, 4-6 and 3-6, with doubles partner Anh Thu Truong, against tough players. Her friends cheered for her, one court away, and look forward to what she will bring to the table.
“Every player is working very hard and we are all supportive and enjoy each other. We are very close with each other which is very important and it’s the same as past years,” Patel said.
Doubles number two Captain Melody Hom and junior Katie Dang were also notable players, finishing strong with a score of 6-2. Hom’s vocality and her fast paced nature perfectly match Dang’s gentleness and model serve. They complement each other well, the key to their success.
“We played as a team, not just one player who is a superstar. It makes a big difference that we are on the same level so playing together as one team, one goal, one player, makes us the best we possibly could be,” Patel said.
Partners senior Captain Rene Do and junior Sophie Vu played exceptionally well, winning two out of their three rounds with the scores of 7-6, 6-7 and 6-2. With little break, these two make the best out of their matches, having fun before, during and after each round.
“We are playing 18 matches, so we are going to suffer. It’s not about win-loss, but about how many close games, coming down to the last point, they can play,” Patel said. “I’m very happy at the result, and very excited for future games. We are ready to play next week.”
As preseason comes to an end, the Lady Barons are prepared for what’s to come and what they’ll need to do to succeed.
“We need to keep our heads down and understand that we still have a lot to improve. We have a lot of holes that we need to work on from now to the last match of the season,” Patel said. “There’s no looking back.”
