Varsity girls tennis defeats Sacred Heart Prep in CCS matchup

Liza+Egorova+%289%29+shakes+hands+and+high-fives+some+of+the+girls+on+the+Sacred+Heart+Prep+team+during+lineup.+She+wins+her+number+two+singles+match+6-1.+The+Harker+team+won+4-3.

Nisha Shankar

Liza Egorova (9) shakes hands and high-fives some of the girls on the Sacred Heart Prep team during lineup. She wins her number two singles match 6-1. The Harker team won 4-3.

by Nisha Shankar, Reporter

The varsity girls tennis team defeated Sacred Heart Prep 4-3 in the second round of the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs on Nov. 11. Because they were seeded at number eight in the tournament, they did not have to play the first round of matches the previous day. Being seeded number eight is high enough to receive a pass for the day.

All team matches consists of four singles and three doubles matches. The singles are played in the order starting with the best player on the team.

Elizabeth Schick (10), co-captain of the team, won at number three singles in just two sets with a score of 6-2, 6-3.

Number two singles player Liza Egorova (9) was initially down 1-5 in the first set, but then tied the set and eventually win in the tiebreaker with a score of 8-6. Liza’s final scoring was 6-1 in the second set.

Number three doubles team Aliesa Bahri (10) and Kathleen Cheng (10) also won at 6-2, 6-2. Their win against Sacred Heart Prep (SHP) was important because that doubles team was the only opponent that they failed to beat during league match. The number two doubles team of Gloria Guo (10) and Connie Miao (11) won their match with a score of 6-2, 6-1.

“We both felt like we could play a lot better than the last time we faced off with them, Gloria said about herself and Connie. “We told ourselves to just focus on the point and each shot instead of the actual score, and even though we were winning, we didn’t let that get to our heads and become too overconfident.”

All three of the doubles teams had the same strategy. They targeted the weaker opponent and no matter the score, they made sure they stayed calm. They also ensured to use different formations to keep their opponent guessing as to which direction the ball would go.

“In general, both of us played really well today and made few mistakes,” Kathleen said about [herself] and Aliesa. “Our energy was high and after last time’s loss to the same doubles team.”

Throughout the game, Aliesa and Kathleen ensured that they maintained a happy mood.

“In between points, Kathleen and I would be joking around and lifting each other’s spirits, which I think helped us maintain composure during points,” Aliesa said.

Having won a close match with the same opponent previously, Liza did not want to underestimate her opponent.

“All I could do to win this match is work hard and believe in myself,” Liza said. “After I stopped worrying about my game, the score suddenly started to change, and I won the first set 7-6. By the end of this match I understood that you can’t control anything except for how hard you work and how much energy you put into the match.”

Since the girls won the second round of the CCS match, they went on to play in the quarterfinals against Menlo School on Nov. 12, but they lost 1-6. This CCS match was the furthest the girls varsity tennis team has ever advanced.