Rallying together in pursuit of success

The Diamond Bar High School girls tennis team swings into a triumphant comeback as they maintain a season record of 3-3.

Last season, the team had barely beat South Hills by 10-8. Yet, come their first game against South Hills, the girls improved tremendously, scoring a 13-5 win.

“The start of the season has been really good,” junior Caliah Tan said. “During preseason, we had a lot of good matches and we’re starting to get used to everything again.”

Over the summer, the team had been preparing for the season meticulously, focusing primarily on working with head coach Alexis Feix. As they begin their season, the team has been continuing to get frequent practices, allowing them to improve in communication between doubles players and overall stamina.  

“The team has improved a lot because we’re just coming off our recent season, so the turnaround was quick but the conditioning has improved tremendously,” Feix said. “Our doubles players are starting to work out some strategies and our singles players are going out and grinding out important wins.”

Since athletes were able to get back on campus, they’ve been able to figure out the logistics of the team and plan out effective game plans. Though Feix is still working on a strong doubles lineup, she already has junior Chloe Cadelina and Emily Tsao, as well as senior Laura Gao as the primary singles players. 

I feel that we have all worked very hard during our matches and fought hard for every point,” Gao said. “I also feel that we are giving it our all during conditioning and practice as our coach is pushing us very hard to increase our physical and overall fitness.”

The team’s huge improvements within skill, communication and conditioning are some of the most notable contributions to the team’s wins. While they are still in the process of figuring out the best strategies for a successful season, they are looking forward to winning this year’s League and progress to the CIF.

We have pretty solid players on our varsity team this year and I know that with the right mindset and determination, we are able to play any school [in our division],” Gao says.