The girls tennis team is looking to have one of their best seasons yet as they add three nationally ranked freshmen to the varsity squad. Carina Burdick, Lili Kobayashi, and Juliette Martin are all ranked nationally and at the state level, and they will add to a large returning senior class in what Coach Hung Nguyen says is a very promising season.

“We expect to finish at least third, maybe even higher. [The] expectation is high this year,” said Coach Hung Nguyen.

The three freshman will be playing the number two, three, and four spots for singles on the varsity team, which is led by No. 1 singles player junior Kacey Incerpi.

The team finished 6th out of 7 last year in the De Anza division, just holding on to stay in the league. The team is glad to stay in the upper division, but they are also aware of the difficulties and challenges that come with it.

“De Anza is much more competitive than the El Camino [division]” Nguyen said.
Their ambitions this year, however, are set on achieving much better results than those of last year.

“Third [in the league] would be a really good achievement. We should make CCS, which is our primary goal this year,” said Nguyen.

As for the freshman, they are all ranked at both the state and national level, and they compete in major tournaments year-round. They see this season as a way to advance their own skills while also helping the seniors complete their high school career in a strong fashion.

“I want the team to do well,” No. 2 freshman singles player Juliette Martin said. “A lot of the team is seniors, so it would be really great if we could do well for them this year.”
The team began with a win in the Fresno tournament on September 8 and lost to Monta Vista on September 11.