“Let’s go Lasers, let’s go!,” Irvine Valley College spectators chant loudly in the stands. Maddie Giese and Lina Ito, freshmen El Camino College students, smile and giggle at each other as Giese serves the tennis ball over the net.
“Every time! Where are you going?,” an IVC player yells at her team mate. A look of defeat and frustration take over the Lasers.
The Warriors commanded the court by staying relaxed and having fun playing together during their match on Thursday, Feb. 15 against IVC.
In the doubles match, Giese and Ito won yet another victory at 6-4.
“I played okay today,” Ito said. “My serves were pretty bad and my strokes were just okay. I think we could have ended the game a lot faster.”
Ito has played tennis for ten years but this is her first year playing tennis in college. She enjoys playing doubles with her teammate Giese because they have great chemistry and make each other laugh.
Danielle Wagner, freshman and film major, filled in for one of her teammates that was out sick. Wagner scored 1-8 in doubles and 0-6 in singles.
“I was better in practice than how I performed in today’s match,” Wagner said. “I will continue to practice twice a week (outside of class) and run around the courts to pick up more speed.”
The Warriors ended the game at 7-2. This is their fourth loss playing five matches so far this season.
“We got our work cut out for us (but we have) got to keep fighting,” head coach Steven Van Kanegan said.
Editor’s Note: This story has been edited for clarity in paragraph nine and clarification of a quote.
