With each player competing for their individual glory, the women’s tennis team had hopes of at least a few players qualifying for regionals competition.
Unfortunately, the Warrior’s postseason efforts were not met with much success.
Competing in the South Coast Conference tournament each player on the team was randomly paired against another player from any of the teams in the conference.
No players from the team qualified for the regionals for the first time in “as long as I can remember,” coach Steve Van Kanegan said.
The Warriors also competed individually at a tournament in Ojai last weekend where Ashley Bell was the lone player on the team to get a match victory.
“She had a good tournament, she won her first round match and then lost to the No. 1 seed,” Kanegan said.
The largely disappointing outcome of both tournaments for the entire team puts an end to what has been a rough and rocky road for the Warriors.
They were held winless in the regular season. The last recorded team victory came in the preseason.
It was very much a learning experience and building season for the team.
The team did not have its top three players returning as planned, assistant coach Teila Robertson said.
“They didn’t just let teams roll over them, they stuck to it and challenged every point all season,” Robertson said. “They handled it professionally.”
Despite the large string of losses, Kanegan said the attitude of the team was always good.
“I just like playing tennis,” Ashley Bell said, “I don’t mind if I lose, it’s about having fun.”
Because a significant portion of returning players did not play for the Warriors this season, many of the new players were forced to fill in and play against opponents usually in their second year of competitive college play, Robertson said.
“I think it’s more a lack of experience,” Carolina Mendoza said.
Although the team wasn’t able to secure a victory all season, Bell remained optimistic about next season.
“It’s not like you could improve the next day, it takes time.” Bell said.
No matches are scheduled because the season is over.
But Kanegan said that the team still plans on practicing and competing in tournaments now that the official season is over.
Kanegan said that, although there are no official tryouts, any experienced women tennis players interested in joining the team should contact him during the off-season. Eunice Na, the teams’ top players is not returning to the team next season.