As the boys’ tennis team smashed its way through the Palomares League, the Brahmas dominated teams in Division II and challenged others in Division I. Off to a strong 3-1 start, with the one loss to the Division I Beckman Patriots, nothing seems to be able to stop the Brahmas from victories.

Even though boys varsity was obliterated on Feb. 24 by the Beckman Patriots 18-0, the game was a good challenge for the boys. The Brahmas quickly recuperated and continued to push themselves, and their efforts proved fruitful after they conquered Sunny Hills 11-7 on Feb. 27.

“Like the coach always says, ‘iron sharpens iron’,” captain junior Garrett Masuda stated. “He just put us into the fire for that [match].”

To prepare themselves mentally, the team runs specific drills while coach Dave Hamel also adds in penalties and consequences during each practice, which apply pressure on each individual.

“Our drilling is mainly training for situations that may come up during a match. It helps me to play smarter and recognize those situations,” senior Joey Wang said.

A few days later on March 3, DB competed against Villa Park and tied 9-9. The winner was decided by the team that won the greater amount of games played in the match. The Brahmas ended up victorious at 83 games to Villa Park’s 79 games.

“Tennis is a lot of mental strategy so it’s more than just going out and hitting a ball,” coach Hamel stated. “I expect from [them] their best effort, and hopefully that will result in a successful feat.”

On March 17, the Brahmas defeated Crean Lutheran 11-7. Number one singles player sophomore Neil Tengbumroong shut out his opponents in both his matches, achieved a double bagel, or two perfect sets. Both No. 2 Masuda and No.3 senior Mayur Upparapalli also achieved bagels against their respective singles opponents. Usually, the singles win more sets than the doubles, but against Crean Lutheran, the doubles team won seven out of nine sets, three more than the singles team.

“We are doing very well. We beat some of the top schools like Crean Lutheran,” coach Hamel said. “We beat Villa Park, and we beat Sunny Hills. We’re off to a good start.”
The Brahmas prepare to finish the preseason off with a win against Valencia High School today.