After placing third in the Palomares League, the Diamond Bar High School girl’s tennis reached the CIF playoffs for the second year in a row with an automatic bid; however, the Lady Brahmas’ run ended in the first round.

In their first CIF match against La Quinta, the girls won 14-4. They subsequently lost against Canyon, 13-5, finis

hing the season with an overall record of 8-8 and a league record of 6-4.

For CIF individuals, seniors Casey Mach and Amy Xia were the only girls to make it past the first round for doubles after winning 9-7. However, the Lady Brahmas lost in the next round, 8-5, on the same day.

While the season was solid overall, there were many bumps and turning points throughout the fall season. According to senior captain Zaina Siyed, many of the other schools in league improved. She said that it was particularly true for Ayala and Claremont, as their “new players were very difficult opponents.”

Moreover, the team’s close win in a tiebreaker against Glendora was pivotal in changing the routines and practices for the Lady Brahmas.

“[The tie] was too close for comfort. And in general, that is not what we expected going into the match,” Siyed said. “Our coach felt that a lot of the players weren’t living up to their full potential, at least in that match. That was just a reminder to always be on the top level, so you don’t have close call like that again.”

After the win, the Lady Brahma immediately began planning better ways to improve and place higher within their league. As a result, coach Alexis Feix maintained a strict practice schedule.

 Moreover, instead of running through exercises as a team, Feix focused on certain individual strengths and weaknesses. The players were sorted into individual and doubles groups, as the two focused on different skills. Drills were categorized into stations, in which the players could practice on volleys, matches or serves.  Feix  focused on a handful of players at a time to help improve their technique.

According to Siyed, this year the team figured out doubles, and smooth partnerships over the course of the season. And their double game has generally improved.

“I think as a whole we worked together more, and [Coach  Feix] really encouraged and motivated us to do better. Because we practice a lot and dedicate a lot of our time to the team, we are a lot better than we were in the previous years,” Mach said.

With nine seniors leaving the team next year, Xia believes that the Lady Brahmas will continue to do well as long as the players work hard and keep “a positive attitude.”

“Overall our team [just needs to] remain confident and sure in our skills, even if we do have a few rough patches and bad days,” Xia said.