Written By: Sakura Snyder, Staff Writer
EXCITING: Poly Girls Tennis jump starts the 2023-2024 season.
The 2023-2024 school year has started, which means one thing at Poly: the return of fall sports. Football, flag football, cross country, you name it! One area that seems particularly promising is the girls tennis team. The roster includes an amicable set of players, creating a very well-balanced team all around.
Anya Ivy-Curwen (12) is the varsity captain of the team. Curwen started playing when she was eight years old, and has been playing ever since. As captain, her main priority is “bringing the team together” and creating a positive team environment. She hopes to achieve this by doing “activities outside of tennis” that will ignite further team bonding. Throughout this process, Curwen believes that making the tennis team a “safe place” is of the utmost importance. Creating a good bond leads to better play, which Curwen emphasizes.
Cadence Romero (11) believes that everyone in the team environment is very supportive of each other. Romero started playing her summer of eighth grade, and she began because she wanted to establish a new journey in her life. This brought her to the Poly tennis team. From this experience, Romero has learned that “perseverance is key.”
Caterina Vidussi (10)’s first time playing tennis was in fourth grade. As a sophomore, her personal goal for this season is to “win as many games as she can.” Thyda Hang (12), who started playing tennis in her junior year, has a goal to be consistent with her playing. Hang also expresses the importance of “team bonding” on the team, like Curwen.
Lastly, Coach Nick Mateljan – Coach Mateljan has worked as a coach for many years, for a variety of schools in the district. However, he is now a coach at Poly. Coach Mateljan believes that the season has been “off to a good start” as the girls have “worked hard and played hard.” When asked for his definition of a successful season, he answered that although “winning the matches and making the playoffs are all positive things,” the girls “improving and having fun” is the most essential. Coach Mateljan states that “the girls’ smiles puts a smile on his face,” and he is happy to give back to the tennis community after all that tennis has done for him in his own life.
On top of this, the girls won their very first league match of the year! As time passes, and the games become more vigorous and exciting, we hope for the best for the Poly Girls Tennis team. Come show your support at their upcoming games!
