[lightbox style=”modern” image_path=”http://www.polyspotlight.com/wp-content/uploads/tennis1.jpg” popup=”” link_to_page=”http://www.polyspotlight.com/wp-content/uploads/tennis1.jpg” target=”” description=”” size=”portrait_thumb”]Girls Tennis player Valeria Cordova (12) returns a shot during a recent league match.
RESURGENT: The Poly Girls’ Tennis team begins to make statement in the Inland Valley League
By Chandler Drachslin, Staff Writer
The girls’ tennis team enters the new year with a confident and composed attitude. After a productive season last year, the girls are striving to improve and become recognized as a competitive team in the new Inland Valley league. “The team is focused on improving as a whole and we are all more driven and motivated,” two-year varsity competitor Kate Weggeland (10) explained.
Practice makes perfect, and the girls seem to have taken this to heart. Their commitment and dedication on the court has led them to the superior record of 6-1 in league play, suffering their only loss to cross-town rival Arlington.
Coach Ric Moore is very proud of the team’s success this year. He is not focused on the record, but rather on the ladies’ persistent effort on every ball. “I want them to do the best they can, go 100 percent every time they play the ball,” he said. Some players, like Weggeland, attribute their accomplishments to the substantial captains of the team: “Caitlyn Heredia (12) and Jaclyn Adaskaveg (12) are very motivational and always cheer on the team. They are great moral support.” The Poly squad also looks to three freshman players, Mackenzie Nelson (9), Sophia Helfand (9) and Holland Shourds (9), to step out of their comfort zone and compete at the varsity level.
Although the new league will present new challenges and force the team to make adjustments, Coach Moore does not seem affected by the schedule change one bit. “I can not think of any challenges; I’m not worried about that.” This approach to the season will allow the girls to concentrate more on their individual improvement and increase their singles and doubles record without having to worry about the competition. “We will prepare by playing, playing, playing. The only way for us to get better is to be consistent and keep the ball in play, which we can accomplish through hours of practice,” Weggeland concluded.
The Girls Tennis crew just recently decimated Valley View High School, a league contender, by a score of 17-1. “I think our team can be better than where we are right now, but we are going to finish the season strong for the playoffs,” Shourds said.
As the girls smoke their competition, they all have their eyes set on the prize. Reaching CIF playoffs seems to be a mutual goal throughout the tennis program. Coach Moore sums it up: “I’m looking forward to making the playoffs, I’m pretty confident we will make it this year, it’ll be fun for the girls.”
After a monumental start to the season it looks as though the Poly Girls Tennis team has a good chance of winning the Inland Valley League title.
Their next home game is on Wednesday, October 17. They will be facing off against Rancho Verde High School. Can they finish the season as strongly as they have started?