Last Tuesday, October 29, the Los Altos High School varsity girls tennis team defeated the Lynbrook High School Vikings 4–3 on its senior night, clinching the De Anza League title for the first time in over a decade.
For both the underclassmen and the seniors, this victory marked the highlight of the season.
“The fact that we were able to snatch the league title with the seniors I’ve known and loved on their night feels so great,” sophomore Lucy Lai said. “It’s really empowering and we’re now very motivated to win States.”
“It was a great win, and I’m so proud of the team,” Captain senior Tyra Bogan said. “I’ve lived many hours on these courts, and it feels like I’ve been waiting four years for that win. To do it on senior night, too, made it even more special.”
Before the game, underclassmen shared emotional speeches and gift baskets and posters to honor each senior.
“They got me crying,” Tyra said. “They were super sweet speeches. I’ve spent so much time on the courts with those girls, so it means a lot to play one final home game with them.”
Head Coach Hung Nguyen, who has been coaching some of the current seniors since their freshmen year, shares the bitter-sweet sentiment.
“It’s always happy and sad at the same time,” Nguyen said. “I’m happy that the seniors went through the journey with us and sad that they will be gone. My goal is for them to have had the best time here at Los Altos.”
Throughout the season, the team faced the challenge of having to accommodate for missing spots on the roster, as many top players couldn’t make it to certain games due to their busy schedules. However, the Eagles remained close to undefeated this season, with their only loss against the Palo Alto High School Vikings, who they swept 7–0 in the rematch.
“I think the opportunity to get that many players in matches just shows the depth of our lineup and how far we can go,” Tyra said. “We have the ability to trust that they’ll get the job done, and we’ll be able to pull through.”
Even with six seniors graduating from varsity this year, Tyra remains optimistic about the team’s future, as the JV team has been the undefeated league champions since 2021.
“It’s unreal to literally not have lost for three years,” Tyra said. “I’m really excited for the future of this team, and I can’t wait to see what they’ll do and I’m sure I’ll be back to cheer them on next year.”
For the team, the annual Point Loma Tennis Invitational has been the highlight of their season, bringing the underclassmen and seniors closer together.
“This year, I was able to room with people that I love and did fun things for the last time with some of them,” Lucy said. “I’ve made a lot of memories and I’ve gained a lot of knowledge about tennis strategy and techniques from watching the seniors play and connecting with people of different ages.”
Lucy, along with junior co-captain Carissa Lai and junior Jolie Lu, made speeches to the seniors.
“I want to tell them again: ‘’Thank you so much for being here, supporting us, and putting in all that energy,’” Lucy said. “‘It’s been so fun talking to you, getting to know you, making many memories, and learning from you. I hope you guys have the best time in whatever you do after high school, and we’re very excited for you, but we’ll miss you a lot.’”
The Eagles finished off their league games 11–1 and will start their playoff season at the SCVAL De Anza Singles and Doubles Tournament on Wednesday, November 6.
