The Dos Palos High School tennis team has been on a journey since the beginning of school. It has been a season full of ups and downs with long practices in the early morning and late at night.
However, the season is slowly coming to an end as they hosted their senior night against Avenal on Oct. 17.
This year’s junior varsity and varsity teams were made up of 10 seniors, Brianna Flores, Nathalie Alvarez, Emely Guerro, Kenya Cortez, Jasmine Ramirez, Bethzaira Rodriguez, Karina Tapia, Yeila Hernandez, Alison Morales and Nira Magdaleno.
Some of these seniors were first-years who created many memories that will last a lifetime. However, many seniors have been a part of the team for a couple of years now.
They have created memories, gained new experiences and learned life lessons through their high school tennis journey.
Bethzaira Rodriguez, a senior on varsity, mentioned how she learned “many valuable lessons from my current and past tennis journey that I will ultimately treasure in my heart forever.”
Rodriguez said, “Through this experience, I learned the importance of continuous improvement. All of my wins and losses have shaped me into a better person outside of the courts as I got to experience both the good and the bad of the game.”
Being a member of a group or team can have its ups and downs.
“Additionally, I learned the value of friendship and teamwork,” Rodriguez said. “Learning the importance of friendship and teamwork has taught me that the greatest achievements come from the bonds we build and the collective effort we put in together.”
The team only created more memories and a stronger bond after winning their senior night against Avenal, 7-2.
Brianna Flores, another senior on varsity shared her best experience while with the team when she
said, “The win against Hanford West last year. This was our second round of the playoffs, Hanford ranked 3 while we were ranked 6. It was an extremely close and hard game, which none of us thought we could win. There were two tie-breakers taking place at the same time and we needed both to win. After that win, it was the best feeling ever. This was the first time we felt we had a chance of winning.”
The season is still ongoing for this team as the varsity team moves past the regular season into playoffs. The team hosted their first playoff game of the season on Oct. 30 against Liberty High School.
Yeila Hernandez said she is, “really proud of my team for trying their best and playing their best against these other talented girls and for not giving up. Last year we made it to semi-finals and hopefully this year we will make it just as far. We all always get nervous before the games but knowing we play at our best doesn’t discourage us from the outcome.”
The team will be moving forward to the second round of playoffs as they had another victory. The team, as Hernandez mentioned, played their best as they won against Liberty High School, 6-3.
Hernandez gave some insight into their experience during their match when she said, “My first playoff game was nerve-racking of course playing someone ranked the same as me not knowing how they play but I knew as long as I played my best and hardest, it’s all that matters.”
Hernandez showcased the team’s mindset during the match and emphasized the idea of how it led them to winning their singles playoff match 6-3 and 6-0.
