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Picture by Vivian Kim

Quartz Hill High School is home to some of the most dominant girls’ tennis players in the Antelope Valley, as shown through their numerous trophies and CIF-qualifying wins each year. Tryouts for our girls’ tennis team ran through last week, and the turnout was amazing. An astonishing 40 players tried out over the duration of the week, enduring the mile runs, countless tournaments, and severe exercises through the heat of summer. At the end of the week, only 30 players remained.

Coach Liz was happy with this outcome and said, “At the end of the day, what it takes to make it on this team is heart. You have to want it. This will make it easier for me to make my team.” There were many familiar faces from last year, and they were all very excited to start playing tennis again after summer break.

The tryouts were from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. every day, and these 2 ½ hour sessions consisted of running, leg drills, and knockout tournaments. All returning varsity players were matched up against each other, while the newcomers had a chance to play against people with a similar skill set. There were, however, some incoming players with great ambition who challenged varsity players, achieving  some success.

Katelyn Abaied, ranked first in singles, dominated her opponents with clean sweeps in most challenge sets, while the varsity doubles players on the other end of the spectrum had some very hard-fought wins. Throughout the season, the girls will have more chances to move up the ranking if they are not happy with their current position. Coach Liz is hoping to buy a ball machine this year for the girls’ team to help with consistency and rotations for doubles.  

With the loss of their top two varsity doubles players, new players have had to step up to fill those power positions. The team has already begun training for their competitive season ahead. With a flawless record for many consecutive years, the girls’ tennis team is now ready to dominate the valley.