The Girls Varsity Tennis team has won 13 of 20 games in their season. The team is hardworking and always strives to play their best. As one of the captains, senior Mallory Wu stands out through her dedication and care for the team and her peers. Consistently, she pushes to be a better player and person off and on the court. 

Wu started playing tennis when she was a toddler, but got serious about it in sixth grade, wanting to be on the tennis team in high school. Her family has been playing tennis her whole life, and it seemed natural that she would follow in their footsteps through the legacy sport. 

Playing tennis isn’t easy, but Wu has shown her special dedication and persistence for the sport. 

In her sophomore year, Wu “spent a lot of time outside of school practices working really hard” and made the varsity team her junior year. In her senior year, she was promoted to being a captain. 

To stay on top of her tennis skills, she practices with a ball machine in her free time at home, using “a lot of repetition and making sure that [her] shots are good and clean.” 

She also used to play frequently with her dad but since high school, and the large influx of homework that comes with being a senior, she hasn’t been able to as much. 

They “would play on the weekends and during the off-season and would usually stay after [their] shorter practices during the period 6 and just play a little extra” with him to get even more training done.

“Mallory is really driven and she’s a great leader, she never gives up no matter the circumstance,” said freshman Jamie Wu.

As a captain, she runs their practices and drills during the season. 

For example, “when [they’re] doing an Indian run drill, [she] is running at the front, pacing everyone” to make sure that they are training correctly. 

“She leads with confidence and we look towards her for guidance on how to play a game especially during an important match” stated Wu.

Because she is not only an athlete but also a student, she does a number of activities and enjoys time with her friends outside of her tennis life. At school, she is involved in several extracurricular activities such as being part of the Gov. Team and being an officer in the Evergreen club. Recently, she participated in a Site Care event at an elementary school as the presiding officer. 

While she’s an exceptional student and athlete, Wu is also a great shopping buddy and friend, taking her friends “all going shopping or out on a little matcha date.”

Her best memory of tennis was during a game when she and her previous partner accomplished a “golden bagel.” A golden bagel is a situation in which one pair on the court does not lose any points throughout the set. After achieving the prestigious golden bagel, “it was just really fun hanging out with [her] team that day.”