The Diamond Bar High School varsity Girls Tennis team beat the Rowland High School Raiders 12-6 last Thursday. The team is currently undefeated with an overall record of 2-0 and league record of 1-0.
The Lady Brahmas started the match strong. with number one singles player senior Padmaja Krishnan winning all of her three matches; however, the number two singles player, senior Iris Hsieh, lost two of her three matches. Senior co-captain Joycelyn Chen and Christina Georgescu, the number two doubles team, were in complete control of their match and won all of their three sets.
After the end of the first set, senior Evelyn Wang, was substituted by junior Silvia Lin due to a sprained ankle. In the third match senior Melody Chen and Lin were replaced by players Danielle Foley and Jasmine Zhang. The number one doubles team of Chen and Wang won its first two matches and ended 6-1. “We have two very strong doubles teams.” Coach Tisa Shavers said on the performance of the team.
The team boldly entered its match on Sept. 6 against the Raiders with confidence after the previous match against the Sunny Hill Lancers, one of the better teams in the Hacienda League. Although the Lancers played well with strong serves and hits, the Brahmas kept calm and defeated the Lancers 13-5. “They’re working hard to get better, and working on being consistent. They are really a great group of girls who are just like a family. Tennis is basically an independent sport, but they work as a team, and care for each other, and show concern for each other’s matches.” Shavers said.
Last season, the team went 16-2 through the season and more impressively did not lose a single league match. For their effort, the number one doubles team of Chen and Wang were named the Hacienda League’s Most Valuable Players. This was Chen’s second MVP award. The team also made CIF last season for the third straight year. However, after advancing to the quarterfinals of the CIF Division II championships, the Lady Brahmas fell to Troy High School. Despite losing in the quarterfinals. Shavers described this as a great achievement as this is the farthest she and the team has gone in CIF since coaching at DBHS.
This year, the team expects to advance to the finals. “I think unity is important when it comes to matches. Without team effort, you can’t accomplish anything.” Chen commented.
The Brahmas hope to maintain their winning streak to maintain their momentum. Their next match is today at the Ayala High School Bulldogs.