By Kevin Tran
The Fountain Valley High School girls’ tennis team faced off against the Corona del Mar Sea Kings on Tuesday, losing 7-11 in a close match. Despite their loss, several players stood out and kept the match competitive.
Standout players included senior captain Katelyn Nguyen and junior Kendra Ly — despite a slow start, they kept pushing and managed to make an impressive comeback in their second set.
To start the game, the Barons’ singles number one, freshman Gabriela Buhnia, played hard in all her matches. She fought back with strong returns, but the Sea Queens proved to be too overwhelming, defeating Buhnia in three sets.
Junior Jaslyn Nguyen, Fountain Valley’s number two singles player, put up a strong effort in all of her sets. Her footwork and serves proved to give her opponent issues. Although losing to her opponent in all three sets, she made a valiant effort every minute of the game.
Fountain Valley High School’s number three singles player junior Chloe Vu fought hard in her first game to win with a score of 6-3. Her powerful overhard proved to be too overwhelming for her opponent.
Senior Athena Tran and junior Sophia Do showcased as doubles pair number one. In their first game, the pair lost to a score of 1-6 In the next set, they had a run of great offensive plays, along with Do and Tran holding the defense in the back
In the pair’s second game, they won with a score of 6-2. Even with their middle-game comeback, in the final set, the Sea Queens themselves generated impressive offensive and defensive plays, and the Barons lost with a final score of 2-6.
Next up, representing the Barons as the number two doubles players, saw Katelyn Nguyen and Ly play against the Sea Queens. In their first game against CdM, the pair lost with a score of 1-6. After a rough start, the Lady Barons came back to win in the next two games, with scores of 6-4 and 6-3 respectively.
The Barons’ doubles three showcased the dynamic pair of senior Katie Lam and sophomore Kacie Lam. The sister duo dominated as the team’s number 3 doubles team, winning all three rounds 6-0, 6-2 and 7-5.
‘’Doubles matches were awesome, singles matches could have been better,’’ head coach Harshul Patel said. ‘’There are three sets we should have done better on which we didn’t, and that’s why we lost it.’’
Although they may have lost, the Lady Barons still see opportunities for growth as they prepare for their next match.
The Barons will play their next match at home against Los Alamitos High School at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
