The Palo Alto High School girls’ varsity tennis team is celebrating its winning streak after triumphing over Wilcox at home, 6-1, yesterday.

“We could go undefeated [for the rest of the season],” head coach Andy Harader said.

The Chargers’ lack of consistency in strokes allowed the Lady Vikes to take the victory easily. Throughout the match, Young but experienced Paly players won their points with simple strokes because their opponents produced numerous unforced errors.

The first point for Paly came from the No.2 doubles team, where junior Vrinda Khanna and sophomore Christine Koepnick earned a straight set victory over Wilcox’s Betty Nguyen and Christine Letrong without dropping a single game. Khanna, who is ranked 77th in Northern California’s under-16 division, survived the 50-minute match despite an upper thigh injury that had prevented her from playing in a singles spot.

“The other team was not consistent at all,” Khanna said.

At No.1 singles, Paly freshman Janet Liu cruised against Peggy Chou, finishing 6-0, 6-0. Liu, ranked 18th in Northern California’s U-16 division, effortlessly dictated play during her match.

“There’s not much to say about the match,” Liu said. “It was not very intense.”

Paly junior Lisa Ke and freshman Emily Efland managed to win their match against Wilcox’s Mounia O’Neal and Chrissy Robertson, 6-3, 6-0.

“The match went pretty well,” Ke said. “We were inconsistent only in the beginning.”

Junior Lindsay Yang continually put pressure on Charger Lindsey Gray at No.2 singles by moving up to the net often. Yang struggled with Gray’s low shots from time to time, but she used her experience and variety to bring another point for Paly, 6-0, 6-2.

After winning her first set, 6-0, Paly freshman Mira Khanna lost her concentration and allowed opposing Audry Hwong to come back during the second set at No.3 singles. Still, Khanna did not let Hwong to earn a single break point, using her powerful forehand to finish the set, 7-5.

Paly sophomores Gracie Dulik and Sophie Biffar were not very satisfied with their performance at No.1 doubles against Chargers Rhianna Costiloe and Sayaka Taguchi, yet they brought home a 6-3, 6-3 win for the Vikings.

“We could have played better,” Biffar said after the match. “We made several unusual mistakes because our opponents were very soft hitters.”

Although as a team Paly was up 6-0 against the Chargers, senior Shireen Tofig continued to fight hard at No.4 singles to contribute to a perfect win for the Vikings. Both Tofig and Wilcox’s Michelle Huynh played carefully and consistently, often fighting through long rallies. Tofig won the first set, 6-4, using her strong overheads, but Huynh kept Tofig on her toes and won the second set, 6-2. These players played a super-tiebreaker instead of a third set because all other matches were finished, and Hyun won this final tiebreaker with a score of 10-7, earning the only point for the Chargers.

The Lady Vikes impressed Wilcox head coach Lisa Johnson.

“I think the Vikings will do very well in our league; the team is very strong,” Johnson said. “Also, they have an outstanding No.1 player, and I like her game very much.”

Last year, Harader led the boys’ team to a league crown and Central Coast Section quarterfinals after moving down voluntarily from the De Anza division. He believes the girls’ season will be very similar, dominating the lower El Camino league while preparing for next year’s season back in the upper De Anza league.

According to most players, this year’s team is not only filled with talent but also much more motivated than last year’s team.

“Last year, some girls wanted socializing rather than practicing,” the older Khanna sister said. “We have a much more serious team this year, and we should beat everyone this season.”

The Vikes will have a non-league away match against Lynbrook today at 3:30 p.m., and Harader is confident to win even though Lynbrook is in the upper De Anza league.

“We beat them last year even with a less motivated team, so I am sure we will play well,” Harader said.

The tennis team’s next league match is at home against Cupertino tomorrow.