On Oct. 21, Aragon’s girls tennis team (7-12 overall, 7-7 Peninsula Athletic League), defeated Hillsdale (3-10 PAL)* 6-1, winning all four singles matches and first and third doubles.
Sophomore singles player Varsha Jawadi started the Dons off strong with a two set victory, scoring 6-1 and 6-0. Senior Phoebe Lin and freshman Katie Yue were the first to finish their doubles match and defeated their opponents in just two sets with the scores of 6-0 and 6-1. Although Lin double-faulted during the first set, she didn’t let it faze her.
“I just don’t think about it really,” Lin said. “If you focus on your mistakes, you’ll continue making mistakes. Just forget about it, don’t let it bother you and try your very best.”
Described by head coach Dave Owdom as a “freshman dynamo,” freshman singles player Anna He continued the team’s winning streak.
“For this match specifically, I just kept my ball [in and rallied with my opponent],” she said. “I didn’t have to work too hard.”
Meanwhile, duo sophomore Annie Saban and freshman Mana Ueno followed, winning their match 6-4 and 6-0.
“In the first set, we [fell] a little bit behind,” Saban said. “We told ourselves that we could do it and that just because we fell behind, [it] didn’t mean that we [were going to lose] this set.”
Juniors Kexin Zhang and Shreya Arjun were defeated in a doubles match, but the Dons, leading 5-1, were already guaranteed a victory over Hillsdale.
The last match was between senior Simran Bal and Hillsdale’s junior Brooke Vaysberg. Scores went back and forth, but Bal ultimately managed to pull ahead and win two consecutive sets 6-4 and 7-5 respectively. “
[I was] just taking [it] one point at a time and not trying to think about what the overall match score was,”
Bal said. “[I was] just trying to make sure I stay in every point and just play every point like it’s the last one.”
The team’s victory increases their chances of qualifying for team playoffs.
The first round was on Oct. 27 at 4 p.m against Burlingame High School and the Dons lost 4-3. Nevertheless, the team celebrated their achievements this season and looks forward to coming back stronger for the next one.
*Record as of 10/25
