Paly’s girls’ tennis team remains undefeated (22-0, overall) after dominating its final league match, against the Santa Clara Bruins, 7-0, Thursday, Oct. 25.
“I am very proud of the girls,” Paly head coach Andy Harader said.
The first win came from Paly junior Vrinda Khanna in No. 1 Singles. Facing an opponent whose defense was solid, Khanna played her match less powerfully than usual. With a high percentage of first serves and consistent strokes, she continually put pressure on her opponent and dropped only one game. The final score was 6-0, 6-1.
“I did not want to go for winners [by over-hitting] and make mistakes,” Khanna said. “Still, I hit some winners, which was pretty nice.”
The next victory came from juniors Lindsay Yang and Lisa Ke at No. 3 doubles. The opponents’ weak court coverage gave the Vikings numerous chances for winners. Throughout the match,Yang and Ke used several strategies, attacking the net more often and sometimes playing at the baseline together. Yang and Ke also lost one game, with a final score of 6-0, 6-1.
“The opponents did not cover the line well, so our down-the-line shots worked well,” Yang said.
Freshman Mira Khanna at No. 2 singles earned another point for the Vikings, without dropping a single game.
“The match went really fast,” M. Khanna said. “I just tried to stay in every point, and my opponent made many mistakes.”
Immediately after the Khanna sisters congratulated each other on their respective wins, senior Shireen Tofig, at No. 4 singles, brought another point for Paly with a score of 6-0, 6-1.
“My opponent had good returns, but she could not deal with my pace,” Tofig said. “She was very slow and inconsistent.”
Sophomores Gracie Dulik and Sophie Biffar attempted more serves and volleying than usual in their No.2 doubles match. This new strategy, recommended by Harader, worked well for the first set and the beginning of the second set; however, the Bruins adapted to the Vikings’ serves and produced better returns, preventing Dulik and Biffar from easy volley winners. The final score was 6-0, 6-2.
“We lost focus in the end,” Biffar said.
Freshmen Janet Liu and Emma Marti at No.1 doubles improved Paly’s overall score to 6-0. With Marti’s heavy kick-serves and Liu’s shorts with tough angles, the Vikings won, 6-1, 6-0. Liu and Marti, who have wanted to play doubles together since the beginning of the season, were satisfied with their result.
“I was blinded by the sun and missed an easy overhead, and that mistake gave a game to my opponents,” Liu said.
Freshman Emily Efland earned the final victory at No.3 singles, winning 6-1, 6-2.
The Vikings also won all exhibition doubles matches.
The older Khanna and Yang will be playing singles in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League Championships, while Liu, Marti, Biffar, and Dulik will play doubles. The winners of the SCAVAL championships, which will take place at Mountain View High School on Tuesday, Oct. 30, will earn a spot in the Central Coast Section Individual Championships.
“We [Liu and Marti] are not familiar with each other yet, but I am sure it [competing in SCVAL] will be interesting,” Marti said.
As a team, the Vikings will compete in the CCS playoffs, for which the draw will come out on Monday. Despite the team’s perfect record of having beaten every team in the SCVAL league other than Monta Vista and Saratoga, whose teams Paly did not compete against, Harader is unsure if the team will be seeded because has Paly never competed against any team in the West Catholic League.
Nonetheless, Harader said he is extremely satisfied with the team’s performance this season. Before going into the match against Santa Clara, which he regarded as a guaranteed victory, Harader asked some of the Paly players if they wanted to play practice matches with each other. The Vikings, however, expressed their strong desires to compete and finish the season.
“I admire that kind of drive and perseverance of the team,” Harader said. “It is really a great group of competitors.”
The players are also very satisfied with their performance.
“It was a kick-ass season,” junior V. Khanna said.