Boys tennis coming off a tough loss against Long Beach hoped to add a win to their record before the season started. However, the boys lost in their preseason match against Santa Monica, losing 12-6.
Going into the match, the boys were ready, but were still figuring out their groove as they were trying out a new strategy. According to freshman Ronav Sharma, the Sea Hawks attempted to poach, an aggressive attack in doubles matches.
“Our coach was telling us to poach which is where we’re at the net and I have to move to the other side and hit a volley. We were trying to do that the most because it gives the other team less time and puts them on the back of their feet,” Sharma said.
Even though the team didn’t pull through with the strategy this time, senior Thor Nelson believes that the strategy was the right idea, with his doubles team perfectly executing this style in their match.
“Playing a very forward [and] attack kind of game instead of playing defensively gives you lots of advantages,” Nelson said. “I think just playing the style that you want to play and not the game that your opponents are trying to play is very important.”
The Sea Hawks were up early in the game with their aggressive style, but as the game moved on their playstyle became familiar to the opposing team. Santa Monica also had very strong shots throughout the match, making Redondo’s struggle.
“They had really hard shots and they mostly went down the line so we couldn’t really poach as much as we wanted to,” Sharma said.
With this loss, the Sea Hawks believe that they can learn from this match and be better in their next game. In the preseason, the players work on developing their skills and styles before the season to get stronger in their play.
“Our confidence doesn’t really change because it’s still preseason right now, so these losses don’t really matter too much. But we can definitely take our loss and use it to play better the next time,” Sharma said. “Now I know what my partner and I need to work on, and I think everyone on the team learned something from this match.”
With new teammates and a completely new lineup, the team builds trust and confidence with every match they play together. With this trust, the team is able to get better as a team and improve on their game every time they play.
“The team is very different this year, considering we had a lot of seniors that left the team last year. So making sure that everybody feels together [is important as] tennis is a very different sport because everybody’s not on the court at the same time,” Nelson said. “You have your doubles partner, or if you play singles you’re by yourself on the court. So yes, we have a team and we have a very good relationship with each other, but it’s just a little different because you’re not on the court together.”
With the season right around the corner, the team looks forward to a great season ahead of them, taking every game and practice with great intention to reach their goals.
“I hope I can play a lot this season and I just hope our team can win as many points as we can,” Nelson said. “Overall, I hope I can just have fun and have a great time.”
