Boys season ends short with CIF playoff loss
TENNIS After going 10-2 in league, Brahmas lost against the CIF champions in first round of the tourney.
Junior Andy Tsai continues to practice tennis after the tournament, preparing for next season when the team moves to Mt. Baldy League
May 22, 2018
As the Diamond Bar High School boys tennis season came to a close, the team was unable to keep their title of Palomares League Champions after losing to long-time rival, Claremont, on April 24. The Brahmas ended league with a record of 10-2, both losses coming from the Wolfpack.
“We didn’t quite get there, but it happens, you get ups and downs in the league,” head coach Carl Flint said. “But, I’m really happy not just with the scores or performances, but our team is extremely solid. Sometimes the score doesn’t go your way, but in terms of our depth, I don’t think we’ve ever had this depth for a long time.”
The Brahmas wrapped up the season losing to Claremont 11-7, but dominating South Hills 15-3, ultimately placing second in the Palomares League and earning a spot in the CIF Southern Sectional playoffs. The team lost to Harvard Westlake, 16-2 in the first round of CIF, on April 9.
“Every game counts because there were multiple matches this season that were a 9-9 tie. As a result, we had to count the total game score amount to determine the winner, and we always came out on top by a very slim margin,” doubles player Victor Chai said.
“We knew that they would be a great team because they had won CIF last year and had several great players. But we played to the best of our ability and in general we were happy with how we performed even if we didn’t pull out the win,” singles player Akilan Arunachalam said.
With the season over, several key seniors will be moving on. Four of the six starters in the doubles lineup will be graduating, leaving a hole to fill with remaining doubles starters juniors Royce Park and Victor Chai. However, the Brahmas won’t be seeing their current rivals next season, as they will be moving from the Palomares League to the Mt. Baldy League, which isn’t considered as strong a league as Palomares.
“If everyone plays according the way they know how to play, we should definitely dominate,” Flint said. “There are some other teams that are moving into that league, that are also strong, but everyone has to come back and play their game, and we should definitely be in a strong position to take the league.”
