The Aliso Niguel Girls Tennis team is looking to finish strong this year, with only a few games left of the regular season before they make the push for a league championship and CIF glory.
Under Head Coach Jeff Pinter, the Wolverines stand at a record of nine wins and three losses for the season, winning 75 percent of their games. The ladies are 5-1 at their home court, and 4-2 on the road. They are eight games unbeaten with their last defeat being at Portola almost a month ago.
In Aliso’s most recent match, they played San Juan Hills, winning with a score of 11-7. Ann Kato, a standout senior, reflected on the game. “I feel like I played well last match against San Juan Hills, and was able to take the win six games to nothing. I want to improve my net game more”.
Eva Ebrahim, a junior who is on the Wolverines’ varsity team, reflects on the season so far. When asked about her favorite match of the season, she replied, “Jserra was my favorite match because we played well.”
Ebrahim is referring to the non-league match against J-Serra in which she and her doubles partner, senior Mica Malek won their match six games to two.
Ebrahim and Malek have great chemistry playing doubles games together. Before the two are on the court together, they both make sure to devise a pregame plan for how they want to play before the match. Ebrahim adds, “Mica has been my closest friend on tennis all these years, and she’s graduating this year so I will definitely miss her.”
There is much more tennis to play in the girl’s season, however. Aliso competes in a two-day tournament at Sage Hill High School later this week on Friday, Oct. 13, to Saturday, Oct. 14.
The following week the Wolverines will play their final two regular games of the season against Trabuco Hills High School at home and San Clemente High School away.
Finishing off the season, the girls have South Coast league finals and CIF team matches, as well as CIF individual matches for the girls qualifying.
As far as goals go for the Wolverines to finish out the year, Kato explains “I am hoping to win league finals, and advance to individual CIF. I also hope our team wins team CIF, as we advanced to the quarters two years ago and to the semis last year”.
There is steady progress for Aliso in their recent runs, however, the team would like to bring home rings for the school and their legacy.
When asked about her legacy, Kato believes that she left a good legacy for the future players on the team, being that she and her partner won league finals the previous year as well as making it to the best 16 in individual CIF play.
The Wolverines will look to extend their eight-game unbeaten win streak on Friday.
