The girls’ varsity tennis team steamrolls into the season after their second non-league victory of the season over the St. Francis Lancers with a score of 5-2 on Tuesday.
“Saint Francis is one of the top teams in Norcal, so this is a great start to the season,” head coach Andy Harader said.
While Saint Francis demonstrated superior doubles strategy throughout the afternoon, the Vikings’ singles lineup secured the match with a clean sweep. Leading the assault was Paly sophomore and No. 1 singles player Janet Liu. Liu played No. 1 singles for Paly as a freshman as well, and is currently ranked No. 5 in the Girls’ 16 and under division in Norcal. Utilizing her consistent ground strokes and strong net game, Liu took down her opponent, 6-1, 6-0, and was the first match to finish.
“I was just very relaxed while playing,” Liu said. “I played a lot better than last week [against Notre Dame].”
Sophomore Mira Khanna at No. 4 singles and the No. 1 doubles duo of juniors Gracie Dulik and Sophie Biffar soon followed Liu’s victory. Mira Khanna used forceful shots to secure a 6-3, 6-0 win, while Dulik and Biffar outplayed their opponents 6-2, 6-1 in Paly’s only doubles victory.
“I just kept applying pressure to my opponent’s serves and ground strokes, and she started to let up a bit in the second set,” M. Khanna said.
Other Paly wins included sophomore Emma Marti at No. 2 singles and senior Vrinda Khanna at No. 3 singles. While Marti readily finished off her opponent 6-1, 6-1, Vrinda Khanna’s match went deep into the afternoon before she was finally able to outlast her opponent 4-6, 7-6(8-6), 10-3.
“At the beginning of my match I wasn’t confident,” Vrinda Khanna said. “After I lost the first set I just forced myself to be more consistent and get more serves in, and in the end I pulled it out.”
While Vrinda Khanna’s match wore on, the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles team struggled. Juniors Lauren Mah and Christine Koepnick at No. 2 battled their Saint Francis counterparts before finally falling in a 5-7, 4-6 loss. They were joined by senior Lisa Ke and sophomore Emily Effland, at No. 3 doubles, who attempted to mount a second set comeback before being halted at 1-6, 4-6.
The team will enter the De Anza League this season after dominating the lower-caliber El Camino Division last year. While moving up a division is a “significant accomplishment” according to Harader, the girls are wary of the higher level of play in the upper league.
“Last year we had a lot of easy matches, so we didn’t get a chance to play a lot of the top teams and gain more experience,” Liu said.
One key bonus for the Vikings will be the absence of several top players from league powerhouses Monta Vista and Saratoga.
“With our strong lineup and some of the top singles players from other schools missing, I think we have a shot at being the No. 2 or No. 3 team in Norcal,” Harader said.
The girls’ first league match against Lynbrook will be held next 3:30 p.m on Tuesday at Paly.