Springtime. A time of blossoming trees. A time when people can relax. It is also the start of the tennis season! Fresh off a CIF Division II championship, the Boys Varsity Tennis team is striving to repeat a similar feat. Additionaly, the boys have moved up to Division I, which shows they are one of the best teams in America. They have gone an impressive 7-0 start to the season, including 3-0 in league. This is something that is very impressive, as the boys have been undefeated in the Pacific league for three years now. However, this is not enough, as there are different roles and ambitions within the team.

Starting off with ambitions, there are a few goals that differ among players. Freshman Jeffrey Lee stated that “his personal goal is to further develop his overall tennis game by playing matches to help his skills develop.” As Jeffrey is only a freshman, he relishes the early game time that he receives and hopes that it will bolster his skills for the future. Senior Brian Kim has a different mentality with what he wants to achieve. He said he hopes that the team “achieves a better outcome than what was done last year.” As the team won CIF last year, Jeffrey is hoping that the team will advance further in State this year. Last season, the team was knocked out by Torrey Pines in the Round of 16. This year’s team is hungry to win more and more, and not just to settle for a CIF victory.

As this is a new season, there are many new players on the team that are experiencing high school tennis for the first time. One of those guys is freshman Matthew Feng. Matthew, an experienced player who is nationally ranked because of his outstanding tournament record, believes that “high school tennis is very different compared to tournaments, as the cheering of teammates help[s] motivate me to play the best that I can, which makes the overall game much more fun to play and easier.”

Overall, the tennis season is off to a great start, and everyone should be excited. Many players are hyped up for this season, as they should be. Not only do these players hit winners, they are winners! The team is undoubtedly going to go far in both League and CIF. Great job Apaches! Keep up the good work!

Photo courtesy of Charles Deng