On Tuesday, April 17th, the West High Boys Varsity Tennis team rallied against the Redondo Sea Hawks. The Warriors, who had faced off against the Sea Hawks once before, were worried. With the memory of their defeat just three weeks prior fresh in their minds, the Warriors trudged onto the pavement. However, this time, the Warriors had changed their strategy; they had prevailed, defeating their foe 10-8. This marked the first victory the Warriors had tasted in the Bay League.
The Bay League games had started off rocky for the Warriors. “Ever since we lost [the first game] with Redondo,” started Caleb Yoo (10), “we lost every other game in the Bay League.” Though it can be said that PV and Mira Costa were serious contenders to the Bay League throne, the Warriors were caught in the mud when it came to playing against Redondo and Peninsula. “It just did not work, “exclaimed Joseph Ahn (11).
Yet using a completely different strategy, the Warriors had the edge over the confident Sea Hawks. “Peter Zhang (12) and I won two out of the three games we had,” said Yoo. The collective efforts of the team led to the two point lead required to call a victory. “It’s been a while [since we won, but we did] it,” commented Yoo, proud of their victory.
However, the Sea Hawks were not done. They had a chance to recapture the lead, but Sean Chotikasetien (12) and his partner clinched the victory against Redondo by defeating them square on in doubles. “If [the Sea Hawks] had won in doubles,” said Ahn, “we would have [lost].” The victory in the doubles as well as matchup changes by the coach to take advantage of certain strengths saved the game.
With the Bay League coming to a conclusion, the victory against Redondo was invaluable as it raised the morale and confidence of the players, proving that hard work and dedication can always lead to victory.
