Arcadia Girls Tennis sweeps season

Arcadia Girls Varsity Tennis team has absolutely decimated their competition this season with a current overall record of 22 wins and no losses. After beating Murrieta Valley High School in CIF finals on Nov. 13, the girls also claimed the CIF SS Division 2 championship title, and have advanced to the CIF Southern Regional Quarterfinals.

“Honestly, I feel blessed to be a part of such a great team,” said sophomore Sydney Tran. “We made history at Arcadia High School”—this is the first time that the Apaches have held the championship title—”and achieved something only a few schools get the opportunity to do.”   

Sophomore Sydney Tran at the Claremont Club after Arcadia’s CIF win. (Photo courtesy of Victor Tran)

Senior Michelle Gu thought of the girls’ victory as a “major boost for the upcoming days” in competition, as well as a great accomplishment that sets the tone for the next few years—the Girls Varsity Tennis team consists of mostly underclassmen, who she is sure will continue to astound throughout the rest of their high school careers.  And even though “the [opposing] players get tougher and tougher with each round,” Gu said, with the CIF win under its belt, the team will try to “keep [its] morale up and just play the best that we can.” 

Senior Michelle Gu has high hopes for the team’s underclassmen as they continue through future seasons.

Sophomore Aubrie Weissbuch celebrates the team’s CIF win. (Photo courtesy of Ellie Wei)

Sophomore Aubrie Weissbuch echoed Michelle’s sentiments: “It’s a great experience to win something as big as CIF. I feel very accomplished, but I know the battle isn’t over, because right now, we’re in our second round of State [competition], and I hope we continue to do just as well.”

What does it take to get this far? Practice does make perfect—many of the Arcadia girls have been working hard at their sport for years. Weissbuch has been playing tennis competitively for the past decade, and Gu picked up the sport in seventh grade.

“Over the years, playing tennis has taught me to fight,” Weissbuch said. “It taught me that nobody is unbeatable, no matter how big and strong they are. Tennis is a mental game, so to be a truly good tennis player, you must find a way using your wits to win the match.”

“Tennis taught me to be more mentally tenacious and more independent, because for the most part tennis is an independent sport,” Tran shared.

The team’s chemistry also plays an important role in its success. As freshman Francesca Yao put it, “I think that in order to win the CIF championship, we each

Freshman Francesca Yao has been playing tennis for many years, and trains hard every day. (Photo courtesy of Paulette Yao)

 definitely needed a lot of skill in the sport, but we also had to have cooperation because without it we wouldn’t really have won as a team if we didn’t support each other through it all.” She said that “this season has definitely been memorable for all [the girls]” not only because of their impeccable win-loss record and CIF win, but because of the friendships she made while bonding with her teammates over the course of the season. 

Best of luck to the Apaches in the rest of their competitive endeavors!