Tennis singles "talented"; team aims to win league

by Karen Lam

The Girls’ Varsity Tennis team lost four seniors last year, according to Varsity Coach Dong Pham. This has made a big impact on the team, Pham said.
This year’s singles players are all very talented, according to Pham. They are experienced, as they all had Varsity singles spots on the team last year, Pham said.

Singles player Senior Vivian Nguyen is a fourth year returning player. Along with other standout players, Nguyen will help carry the team, Pham said.

“Even though some of the players are different this year, the team is still very close and we all get along,” Nguyen said. “I think we all need to work on being able to get to the ball faster. My personal goal for this season is to win league as a team and as an individual.”

Although the singles players are very strong, the doubles players need improvement, according to Pham. “They need to work hard on their strategy and technique, especially on their footwork,” he said.

Doubles player Senior Hong Ho-Chung said that they could improve both their game and their teamwork. “All the doubles need to work better together,” Ho-Chung said. “But the singles are pretty good.”

This is Ho-Chung’s first year on Varsity, as well as Doubles player Junior Amy Tran’s first year. Tran said that her experience on the team is different from last year’s.

“Last year in JV, we mostly focused on hitting and learning how to play,” Tran said.
“Varsity focuses on winning, techniques, and formation.”

The team’s goal this year is to win league, according to Pham. By winning league, she added, MHS will qualify for CCS.

“The players need to work hard to reach their goal,” Pham said. “After all, it’s up to them whether or not they achieve it.”