Varsity girls tennis team repeats as CCS Champions with 6-1 victory over Menlo

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Alysa Suleiman

Rachel Hernandez (10) serves the ball. The varsity girls tennis team defeated Menlo 6-1 on Saturday at Bay Club Los Gatos to repeat as CCS Champions.

by Alysa Suleiman and Vishnu Kannan

The varsity girls tennis team defeated Menlo 6-1 on Saturday at Bay Club Los Gatos to win their second consecutive Central Coast Section (CCS) Championship. 

Natasha Rajaram (10), Sophie Hernandez (10), Emily Novikov (11) and Sara Wan (11) all won their singles matches in straight sets. Anushka Mehrotra (11) and Audrey Feng (9) won their doubles match 3-6, 6-0, 6-1, while Rachel Hernandez (10) and Olivia Guo (9) won their match 6-7, 7-5, 10-8. Senior Anishka Raina and freshman Charlize Wang lost their match 2-6, 3-6.

“It was really exciting,” Sara said. “All of us put in our full effort. We went in pretty confident, but we were also really cautious at the same time. We played really well together and the team spirit was there.”

Zeke Weng (11) watched the match with his friends, wanting to support his fellow Eagle athletes. 

“I came to support all the athletes because they put in a lot of work. It’s a great accomplishment to make CCS finals,” Zeke said. “Even in the sports I play, I cheer on my teammates, and this is pretty much the same thing.”

Upper school athletics director Dan Molin praises the varsity girls tennis team for their consistent dedication and effort.

“We’re very proud of them,” Molin said. “They’re the number one seed, and a lot of people considered them the favorites, but they’re never complacent, and that’s what makes them great champions. They just play hard no matter who the opponent is, and they don’t take anybody for granted.”

With their victory in CCS, the girls will advance to the quarterfinals of the NorCal Championship, which will be held at the Broadstone Sports Club in Folsom this Friday at 10 a.m. 

Additional reporting by Sabrina Zhu.