After securing its fourth victory of the season against Homestead, the girls tennis team hopes to continue its winning streak as it faces tougher teams. But Coach Andy Harader and senior varsity player Iris Li both said the win against Homestead wasn’t all smooth sailing.
Li won her match against Homestead’s Bebel Yen 6–4, 5–7 and, 10–6.’
“I was not expecting a close match today, but I’m so glad that I pulled out the win,” Li said.
Harader said several of the team’s matches against Homestead were close, but they finished strong with a score of 6–1.
“We were behind in a couple of our doubles matches,” Harader said. “They pulled it out by the skin of their teeth, which was really wonderful to see.”
Harader said Li lost to Yen last year, so he’s glad she was able to come out on top this time around. Li attributes her victory to focus, which allowed her to stick to her fundamentals and avoid rushing each point.
“I really took my time today between points and thought about my mistakes,” Li said. “Normally, I just want to get every point over with as fast as possible.”
Li also said she’s been incorporating new techniques to make her matches more interesting.
“I tried coming into the net more today,” Li said.
Throughout the rest of the season, Li said she wants to continue her focused mentality and flexible technique because it will help her with her placement and ultimately help her win more matches.
The team’s record is currently 4-1, but Harader said they still have many decisive matches left, plus a big tournament in October.
Harader said he knows the rest of the season is going to be challenging, but he believes in the team’s potential.
“We can go all the way this year,” Harader said. “I’m working towards that goal, and I know the girls are too.”
