On October 4, Irvington’s varsity tennis team won their match against Newark Memorial High School easily. Irvington excelled as they relaxedly beat Newark Memorial. This game was more of a warm-up for the girls since their real challenge was beating teams like Mission and San Ramon Valley. Nonetheless, the girls played their best and weren’t overconfident just because of the probable win. During their warm-up, the girls looked focused and prepared to play as they jogged around, stretched, and practiced serving to each other. This warm-up, along with other team building exercises and motivational speeches, kept the girls excited to play, and in the best shape. Once the game started, Irvington immediately took the lead as they scored point after point against Newark Memorial in every set.

One of the star players, Priyanka Gupta-Martinez (10) played well, winning the first set 3 to 1 and the second set 5 to 0. Throughout this game, Priyanka had a strong backhand as well as powerful serves. She consistently scored against her opponent, hitting shots at various parts of the court, making it very hard for her opponent to return them. In the middle of the first set, Priyanka faltered a bit as she hit a ball out of bounds, however, after having a talk with her Coach, she re-entered the game focused and ended the set with a win. During the second set, Priyanka continued to dominate and even made an approach shot halfway through the set. Overall, Irvington controlled the game against Newark Memorial.

“During my match, I did a good job with staying consistent and allowing [the opponent] to make the errors.”said Priyanka, “However, I wish I played more aggressively.”

Players Trisha Le (10) and Vy Trinh (10) also played exceptionally well, as they received what the team calls a “bagel,” which is when the player wins both sets to the most amount of points possible, which is six. All three of these players have been consistent in their tournaments this year, with wins in almost every tournament.

Head coach Dan mentioned that the most important aspect of tennis is getting the girls mentally prepared for each game. Rather than physical preparation, success comes from their mental preparation.

“I try to give them pep talks, to keep their spirits up before the game,” he exclaimed.

Dan also stated that it is vital for the girls to remember that everyone is equally as important so they lose as a team and win as a team. He also mentioned that he reminds the team to work on their weaknesses so that they can play better during more challenging matches.