Arcadia High School’s (AHS) Girls Varsity Tennis team has been working hard on the court this season, and the recent game against Claremont High School (CHS) proved no different for the Apaches. After being pushed back two days from Oct. 17, the game was surrounded by a buzz of nervous anticipation from the Varsity players. The team finally faced off in a non-league game against the Claremont Girls Varsity Tennis team on Oct. 19, in what was predicted to be a fairly even matchup. 

Even with the AHS squad’s recent success in the Pacific League, the competition against CHS was expected to be tough. AHS leads the league so far in the 2022-2023 season, but CHS isn’t a member of the same league and a clear outcome was unpredictable. 

Varsity player sophomore Suri Feng was unsure of how the match would play out beforehand: “We were undefeated in league so far, with only one game left, so I had confidence in our team before playing Claremont. However, there’s always the possibility of a team surprising us by making some unexpected improvements, so we stay focused in training to make sure we can maintain our record, even in non-league games. I would say the game against Claremont ended up being pretty tough, but we played well as a unit and managed to win,” said Feng.

Feng’s teammate, sophomore Annika Chan, has also been training hard and staying on top of her game, but had a different mindset going into the game. 

“It being a non-league match definitely took off a lot of the pressure compared to other matches,” Chan said.

From Chan’s performance, it’s clear her mental preparations did the job well.

“My partner Sofia and I won our three matches in doubles!” exclaimed Chan.

And they won–AHS pulled off a triumphant 10-8 final score, coming out on top of CHS. Despite tough and accurate serves and vigilant defense from CHS, the Apaches played with the trademark spirit and skill that has delivered an undefeated league season and an impressive 3-1 overall record this year. The team also demonstrated a great team dynamic throughout the season that will serve them well.

“I always have fun spending time with my teammates, whether it’s during practice, a match, or a bus ride!” said Chan.

In fact, the CHS game was also senior night. The juniors, sophomores, and freshmen players surprised all the senior players with gifts and posters, topping off the great day for the team.

After the success of that difficult game, the confidence of players and Varsity coach Ruth Lagace was rising surely. The day after the CHS game, AHS played yet another victorious game against Burbank High School (BHS) to end off the league season. BHS was, like AHS, vying for a win in the Pacific League. However, the BHS Bulldogs were pushed to second place by the Apaches, with AHS taking the win on the sunny BHS courts.

Up next for the powerhouse team comes the CIF Southern Section post-league competition, which will serve powerful opponents from throughout Southern California, not unlike the CHS squad. 

“Now for CIF’s, if we’re in Division 1 instead of the Open Division, I think we have a pretty good shot of winning,” stated Feng.

The team is looking forward to the rest of the games they will play this season, however, they won’t be without challenge, and will need to continue to make steady progress on their game.

“I feel like I can improve on getting more confident with hitting more first serves flat, so I’m slowly working on that,” said Chan. 

Feng, Chan, and the rest of the team’s perseverance through adversity will certainly serve them well in the upcoming games. For the rest of AHS, make sure to cheer the team on. Good luck to the Girls Varsity Tennis team!

Photo Courtesy of AUSD Digital Communications