Last year in their epic match-ups, the two tennis powerhouses Gunn and Paly finished 1-1 in head-to-head play, tying for first place in their league.
Now, with an even more experienced and powerful lineup including seven juniors, five sophomores, and one freshman prodigy, the Paly boys’ tennis team looks to kick off the season by crushing their cross-town rivals in their away match on Tues., Feb 26.
Senior co-captains Kushal Tantry and David Plotkin will lead the team to try and improve on last year’s overall 23 and 3 record.
Tantry says the team’s increased off- and on-season preparations are showing significant progress in each player’s fitness and skills. Although Paly battled with Gunn in the 2007 season, the stacked ’08 squad should face much less resistance.
“We are training really hard this season,” Tantry said. “We have a whole new workout plan.”
The Vikings will come out with arguably their strongest singles line-up since their streak of six consecutive CCS titles was broken, back in 1996.
Tantry will lead the team at the No. 1 singles spot for his third year in a row, and will be battling top players in NorCal as the team matches up with powerhouses Menlo School, Sacred Heart Prep and Bellarmine. Baramee Wongbanchai is the team’s youngest addition; the freshman from Thailand will play No. 2 singles, and hopes to pressure opponents with his powerful strokes and remarkable endurance. Junior Sam Wong will fill the No. 3 spot, and looks to capitalize on his consistent shot-making and bullet passing-shots. Fellow junior Dan Schwartz takes the No. 4 spot, and will rely on his serve with his aggressive style of play.
While the singles line-up is strong enough to give any team in the nation a challenge, it is the depths in doubles that Paly must show in order to win the key matches.
Junior Alan Chen, who has been on the Varsity team since sophomore year, agrees with Tantry. “Everyone has been playing on [his] own time and working really hard to play better every day,” said Chen.
Many members have been or are training and practicing during the off-season, whether it is through playing tournaments or with the help of hitting coaches, Chen said.
The Vikings closed off the 2007 last season with a tie with Gunn for the De Anza Division title. Each team had just one league loss, both resulting from very tight Gunn-Paly matches. In their first match-up, Gunn edged Paly for the 4-3 win, while Paly repeated the favor with the same score in their second match-up. Both teams will move up to the De Anza Division league.
Paly entered the CCS Team tournament with an impressive 19-match winning streak. However, they were blanked against Bellarmine Prep, 0-7, in the Central Coast Section (CCS) Team quarterfinals. Bellarmine went on to beat the number one team in the nation, Sacred Heart Prep, in the semifinals before falling to Menlo in the CCS finals. The Vikings plan to reclaim their position as one of the premier teams in the CCS.
“This year is going to be an outstanding season for us,” said head coach Andy Harader. “We are starting off where we ended last season, and we were on incredibly high ground last season.”
The Vikings will face several high-performing schools this season, including the defending CCS champions Menlo School, the National High School Boys Team Tennis champions Sacred Heart, the 2007 CCS finalists of Bellarmine, and the 2004 CCS champions of Saratoga High School.
According to Tantry, the Vikings’ most competitive challenge is Bellarmine Prep.
“We are about neck and neck with every player [on Bellarmine],” Tantry said. “There is going to be a big battle for the fourth seed in CCS.”
Despite losing former-seniors and CCS doubles team champions Matt Severson and Kyle Shulman, the team will have a strong foundation with a few highly ranked underclassmen and returning varsity players.
The arrival of Wongbanchai, who is currently ranked No. 3 in Northern California junior boys 16, will surely strengthen the team, Tantry and Chen said.
The season will include 21 matches and 2 scrimmages. The Vikings will also compete in a tournament in Fresno, California on Feb. 29.
The Vikings kick off their season away against Gunn High School on Tuesday, Feb. 26. (Directions)