By Uy Pham and Kevin Sears
The Fountain Valley High School girls’ tennis team clinched a decisive victory against Villa Park High School Spartans 15-3 on Tuesday. The Lady Barons now have a record of 4-1 in pre-season, with their sole defeat being a 5-13 loss against Mater Dei High School.
The Barons were led by doubles number one freshman Kacie Lam and sophomore Kendra Ly, with the pair winning all three of their matches. Doubles number three, consisting of junior Anh Thu Truong and senior Katie Dang, also secured three victories in their games.
Notably, junior Sophia Nguyen replaced senior Giselle Rico as singles number one for this match.
“We knew we were going to be the strongest team today … [Villa Park] lost a couple of players who graduated already from that team.” head coach Harshul Patel said. “We finished very strongly, [especially] with decent score lines against [their] number one player, a high-level senior.”
Throughout the matches, Kacie Lam and Ly exhibited dominant play, overpowering their opponents early on. Ly’s powerful hits and strategic serves proved effective, with the opponents scrambling to reach and receive her strikes. Kacie Lam consistently delivered swift cross-court shots and ceaselessly maneuvered around the court to receive the enemy’s hits.
“I’m pretty proud of our team. We have a new freshman [Kacie Lam] and she really came in and helped out the team,” Truong said.
A strong partnership between doubles partners Truong and Dang was showcased through their effective communications. Their opponents often switched positions from mid and backcourt to double backliners, but their opponents’ theatrics were benign to the pair’s adaptability.
“I think for me, it was a lot of personal goals. I am not the best volleyer. So it was definitely a struggle to get better at it,” Dang said. “So I was just hoping to be able to put my practice into a game and apply what I learned.”
Juniors and single players Sophia Nguyen and Katelyn Nguyen demonstrated passion and emotion throughout each of their three matches. Their upbeat energy led to fiercely competitive games against their respective single opponents. With Patel providing advice to each during their games, both players continuously rotated between all aspects of their matches, from their serves to receives.
Regarding other results, sophomore Jaslyn Nguyen played as singles number three for all matches. Doubles number two consisted of senior Sophie Vu and junior Katie Lam. They played two matches before being replaced by seniors Nicole Robson and Lucy Nelson for the final match in that pairing.
Looking ahead, Patel anticipates challenging league matchups against Huntington Beach and Corona del Mar but is excited about the growth of his own team.
“We are a really balanced team. This is one of the strongest teams we’ve ever had. They really like working together, practicing together, and having so much fun,” Patel said. “The most important thing is the experience and time that you have gained experience with your teammates on and off the court … Hopefully we continue that for many more years.”
The Barons’ next match will be on Thursday in a home game at 3:00 p.m. against Laguna Beach High School.
