The nearing end of the Aliso Niguel varsity girls’ fall tennis season has been incredibly successful for the girls in their qualification for CIF. Throughout this time, they have participated in a series of league games and have successfully emerged victorious in each and every one of these contests. Most notably, their most recent match was against Beckman High School, where they showcased their skills and determination.
Estelle Luu (9), expresses her thoughts by stating, “a large reason why we do so well is how closely bonded we are.” Luu began her journey into the world of tennis at a remarkably young age, and her incredible talent truly shines through as a significant asset to the team.
Luu reflects on her experiences, saying, “I learned so much playing this season. It was really rewarding.”
In addition to this stunning winning streak which they have currently, they also ensure that they socialize with each other regularly. They have this nice tradition of frequently bonding by getting boba drinks or getting Korean barbecue with each other after tough matches. At any given point, they have great joy and happiness with each other’s company when they are off the court.
Luu expresses that “everyone gets along super well” and stresses the good friendships that they share.
This creates their play on the courts better. In their dominant match against Beckman, they won 15-3. This was an incredible victory for the girls, and it kept their place strong in league.
Throughout the entire season, the girls have worked on focusing on fine-tuning strategies and achieving a higher degree of consistency in performance. Their practice sessions typically consist of a mixture of several agility drills, specialty footwork drills, and point-play simulations that very accurately resemble the severe pressure of real matches.
Practice starts during 6th period and continues after school releases. They vary anywhere from half to two hours. It always starts with the warmup period and includes a number of drills that get the player in shape, and then participation in match play and serving drills. Despite warm afternoons which could make weather questionable, the girls, though, really get motivated and positively encourage each other through all of the drills that they do.
During the season, both on a personal level and also as a strong team, the Wolverines have been displaying consistent and excellent improvement.
Head Coach Mr. Pinter says, the girls have consistently evidenced qualities such as “focus, improvement, and good sportsmanship.” All this hard work and dedication has yielded results in that the Wolverines have so far remained undefeated in the league and so quite well-placed to encounter the CIF later this month.
Just like with so many of the teams at Aliso Niguel, the Girls’ Tennis team has created several beloved traditions that go a long way to making each year unique in its own particular manner. At the beginning of each match, the entire team comes together in a quick yet motivating pep talk and subsequent chanting, which works to get the high-energy level and enthusiasm up in all of the girls playing and gets everyone pumped up and ready to go.
At the conclusion of each season, they participate in a fun banquet that’s meant to reward the hard work and dedication that each player has put in during the duration of the season.
