With a record of 4-2, the Ripon High Varsity tennis team has so far had an excellent season. However, with the previous week, the team faced a combination of hard losses and tough opponents in their match against Escalon. Before playing Escalon, the team had held a record of 3-1 that had been earned from two blowouts against Millenium, a hard fought win against Riverbank, and a resounding loss against the reigning league champions, Hughson. Because of this close record, a win against Escalon would have been monumental for the team, especially considering the longstanding rivalry between our two schools. However, on Thursday March 23, victory against Escalon was just out of reach for Varsity Tennis. With a final score of 3-6, the team faced a bitter loss against Ripon High’s greatest rival.
Going into the game, the team felt a mixture of emotions regarding their upcoming matches.
One player in particular, freshman Lily Meyer says that she was “a bit nervous.” She feels that she owed these nerves to the fact that she has “been going against people who have been playing two or three years longer than I have. I told myself to just do my best, play my game, and that I will get better with experience.” Unfortunately, much of the team faced this struggle in their matches as the team lost six individual matches. Ripon’s three points were won by both boys singles matches, played by seniors Sahaj Gill and Levi Lundrigan, and the #2 boys doubles match, played by junior Samuel Avendano and freshman Santiago Avendano. Despite this loss, the team persevered throughout the entire match, continuing to play their hardest even against such a challenging opponent. This perseverance paid off the next day in the team’s match against Livingston, where Ripon High nearly swept their opponent with a final score of 8-1. Some notable match scores include senior Sahaj Gill, who won 6-0 in both sets, Lily Meyer, who won 6-2 then 6-0, and juniors Natalie Vu and Hailey Williford, who won their match after a 10-8 tie breaker. While Livingston was not as challenging of an opponent as Escalon, this victory can be significantly owed to the team’s determination and ability to stay strong despite such a recent and upsetting loss.
“I think the team as a whole got an idea of what to work on,” Lily says. “And I think in the matches our team learned a lot about themselves and their own weaknesses.” Varsity Tennis’s ability to adapt and evolve is part of what makes the team so strong, and it will continue to serve them on their path through the second half of the season and towards the playoffs.
