Another week and another close match for the women’s tennis team, but the results this time around were much different from previous matches, with EC defeating Long Beach City College, 4-3, Tuesday.
Tied 3-3 at the end of the match, the team needed a doubles victory to seal the win in what turned out to be another grind-it-out affair.
“They’re hitting the balls in the correct place; they are reaching for more balls, just hustling more,” coach Steve Van Kanegan said.
Despite playing without their top player Kristle Davis, who left the team earlier this month for unspecified reasons, the women have done well under the pressure of moving up spots, and playing out of the order that they had become accustomed to at the beginning of the season.
“I really do not have any pressure with me being a second-year player,” Lateefa Brown, the team’s No. 1 player, said. “Davis didn’t really bond with us as a teammate.”
With the victory over Long Beach City under their belts, the women will return to the court today with momentum on their side, traveling to Riverside College to face a strong overall team in the Tigers.
“We’ll have our work cut out for us against Riverside; they have good singles players,” Van Kanegan said.
Lateefa Brown, who lost 6-0, 6-2, inspired the women to play well.
Lucy Rivera’s win, 6-1, 6-2, Kacy Turner’s win, 6-3, 6-2, Nicole Gudeau’s loss, 6-3, 4-6 (10-7), Berlyn Malda’s win, 6-3, 6-1 and Justine McCauley’s loss, 6-0, 6-0 were all important.
“Today, we beat a team we didn’t beat before, we’re just improving more,” Brown said.
Despite the close victory, the women said they were confident that the match was theirs to lose, bonding further despite the inconsistencies the season has brought them with the loss of key players such as Davis.
“When we went out there, we knew we were going to win; it didn’t feel as close as it was,” Lucy Rivera, the team’s No.3 player said. “I think we’re progressing; we’re getting better. We beat Long Beach and we didn’t before.”
A season-long weakness for the women has been their doubles play, but with the victory Tuesday, improvements were obvious as the women used teamwork and communication to strengthen their doubles teams.
” We did better; my doubles partner communicated better with me,” Rivera said. “We got down to it.”
Even with the losses threatening the outcome of the match for the Warriors, the women were confident in their abilities and believe that they did play well.
“I played pretty well, I lost to their No. 1 player though,” Brown said.
Heading to Riverside, the women said they know they have progressed well at this part of the season.
The women said they are confident that they can compete with any team with the experience they possess withveteran players such as Rivera and Brown leading the way.
Rivera said that experience competing while sick last season has helped her get through whatever various roadblocks she and the team have experienced this season.
“Last year, I played sick and got the taste of facing better players; my experience should pay off,” Rivera said.
The players said they attribute much of their current success to the bonding and team chemistry that is developing after each practice and game.
“I feel everyone’s attitude is wonderful; they’re bonding with each other and have the best attitude,” Brown said.
Aside from working on their doubles game, the women will also have to improve their defense against Riverside.
“We’ll have our work cut out for us against Riverside because they have strong singles players,” Brown said.
With Riverside standing as a tough roadblock, the Warriors will need to improve on their overall game, both doubles and singles, if they hope to pull out the victory and continue to rise in the South Coast Conference standings.
“We’re going to continue to work on our net play, get mentally strong to face Riverside,” Van Kanegan said.
