Inconsistency continued to be an issue for the women’s tennis team as the loss against Long Beach City, 4-3, was overshadowed by the departure of No. 1 player Kristle Davis Thursday.

Already dealing with problems regarding the lack of returning players, the departure of the Warriors’ best player will further hamper the team’s progress.

“Davis apparently had determined that she could not commit, so she is no longer with us,” coach Steve VanKanegan said.

Members of the team believe that the sudden vacancy will cause players to step up and work on certain aspects of their skills that they may not be accustomed to playing.

In addition, players will be playing out of position due to the absence of Davis.

“Now that we lost a player, I might be playing a different woman in singles’ competition,” Kacey Turner said. “I’ll now have to step up and keep my game up.”

Returning players Lucy Rivera and Lateefa Brown will also need to step up and fill the void that was left by Davis.

“We’re been under a lot of stress because we just lost our No. 1 player,” Lucy Rivera said.

The morale of the team may be fragile with such a huge loss so early in the season, but teammates are encouraging one another and pushing one another to continue and concentrate on their matches during a difficult time.

“We’re trying to make everyone feel better, and pump everyone up even though it’s going to be a tough season,” Rivera said.

The Warriors will have a match tomorrow against Cerritos College, an opponent known for having a very tough tennis team.

“Cerritos is very good, and it is one team that I think that is going be hard to beat,” Rivera said. “I think we can beat them if everyone pulls their weight.”

A win at Cerritos will be a huge one for the players. Team chemistry continues to improve as each player learns to get along with one another and practices more with each other.

“The team is doing very well in terms of getting to know each other and enjoying each other,” VanKanegan said, “We have an inexperienced team, so it takes a while to get people up to speed and to play on a higher level.”

The loss against Long Beach was determined by a loss in the double’s match, but standout performances from Turner’s singles’ match win (6-1, 6-3) and Rivera’s dominating 6-0, 6-1 singles match performance brings optimism for the future.

“I felt like I did well on my serves, but the woman I played against was playing with the same consistency, so it was whoever could stick it out the longest,” Turner said.

Each player must also learn to improve her own game and continue to play at a higher level using the limited practice time that she has.

“I’m working on my topspin because sometimes I hit the ball flat,” Turner said. “I also got a new racquet,” Turner said.

Despite the loss, the team continues to make strides from match to match.

“The team is improving, and we’re finally starting to bond,” Turner said. “We’re shaking it and baking it.”

Despite the optimism of some players, other players have a different view of how the season is progressing so far; however, the latest setback hasn’t ruined their resolve to improve as the season wears on.

“The team is doing well, but not as well as I anticipated,” Rivera said. “We may have lost some players that we needed, but we’re trying to do the best with what we have.”