On Wednesday, April 6th, the RHS varsity tennis team came in first place for the doubles tournament at Riverbank. After practicing and working hard for weeks, the hard work came through and paid off. Riverbank, Livingston, Hughson, and Waterford were the opponents faced, but Ripon High beat all and brought home a win. 

     For the number one guys doubles, it was Sahaj Gill and Levi Lundrigan. For number two doubles, it was Gideon Waters and Alexis Santos. For girls number one doubles, it was Jenny Pfeifer and Grace Mikami, and for girls number two doubles it was Nina White and Haven Gutierrez. Both guys number one and two doubles as well as girls number one doubles finished the tournament undefeated, each winning four games in total. Each team persevered and faced each individual struggles and challenges, but ultimately led Ripon High to victory. With varying skill and experience with playing tennis, the tennis team effectively worked together and learned how to communicate with one another and perform their best. 

     “So, I usually play singles, I’ve never really played doubles. I did last year, my Freshman year, so I knew the rules but playing with Sahaj, the number one, is fine because we’re friends and we understand each other. You just need to understand each other to play doubles,” stated Sophomore Levi Lundrigan. 

     Most of the athletes placed together in doubles are usually used to playing singles, so switching to doubles was certainly a challenge for many, but they didn’t let that stop them from taking home the win. Others typically play doubles in other matches, which aided their teammates and allowed them a smooth and clean victory over their opponents. Having a good relationship with your teammates can ultimately determine if you win or lose the match, which is why it is important to be able to communicate well and understand each other’s cues when determining who is supposed to return the ball.

    “Honestly, I don’t really do well with doubles, but I think Jenny helped me believe in myself more and made me feel more comfortable and I think we had good chemistry when playing together,” stated Junior Grace Mikami.  

     Despite the intensity of the several matches played, the tennis team also had funny moments that they were able to experience and share with one another. With so many schools participating in this tournament, there were several opportunities to make new friends and learn about some of their opponents. In between matches, players would be given a small break to recuperate and rest until their next match.

     “When I was eating my sandwich for lunch, the guy that was playing in the other match asked me if he could eat my sandwich and I said yes,” stated Mikami. 

     Overall, this tennis tournament was the first of many more to come in the next upcoming weeks and gave RHS a chance to prove themselves to other schools and what they are capable of. Despite the many personal challenges and obstacles the team faced, they ultimately came out on top, and was able to make RHS proud. With a steady schedule of practice, Ripon should have no problem replicating this win in the next TVL tournament schedules for April 29th and 30th, so come out and support RHS’s varsity tennis team!

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