Aliso Niguel High School’s varsity tennis team not only made it to the South Coast League Championships, wrapping up their Fall Season, but they also won first place. This win has instilled confidence throughout the entire team.
Their league championship contained a sequence of league matches, and they went undefeated in every single round. ANHS competed against Beckman, Capo Valley, San Juan Hills and Tesoro High School. The competition amongst these many experienced teams and players only proved Aliso Niguel’s strength even more.
The whole team has said that this win not only improved morale, but also brought everyone closer together and strengthened them as a whole. How a team feels is the most important part of how a team plays. Trudy Shen (10) says, “This win means we will be even stronger next year. We’ve been together through this whole season, and I think that’s the reason we’re so successful.”
However, their achievement did not come easily to them. The whole team worked through difficult practices and hard moments on their way to their victory, as any successful group does. Shen says, “Our team worked really hard to be there. In many practices, we took time switching up the lineups to achieve our best result. Even though it could get frustrating sometimes, it was completely necessary and ensured that we reached our full potential.”
The players all made sure to emphasize that their amazing win took a lot of hard work and dedication, not only from the players but also from their coaches and parents who supported them along the way. Support from friends and family is the backbone of the victories completed by the team, inside and outside of the tennis court.
Rania Kazi (10) says that “without all the amazing encouragement from both my friends and family, I don’t think I could have made it this far in tennis.”
With the season behind them, the players also reflect upon what this means for the team’s future. Their confidence is through the roof, and the team is bonded tightly together. Shen says, “It’s a great honor that we did this well, and it is our sixth year winning league championships in a row, starting in 2020.”
Additionally, there were also individual league finals where each team in the league sent in single and double players to compete in single-elimination rounds. Players such as Maya Varma (9), Ai Kato (11) and Trudy moved on to these matches. Varma and Shen both claimed victory in their individual league finals, concluding the season with personal achievements that matched the team’s collective success.
Not only is this a win for the school’s very own tennis team, but it is also a win for our whole school, including every single student and teacher on campus. The tennis team hopes to continue their streak in next year’s league finals, which will bump up their wins to seven consecutive wins in a row. Aliso’s community could not be more proud of the program’s exemplary performance in this championship.
