The Malibu High School (MHS) girls tennis team is playing well against experienced competition in the latter part of the season, despite having a young squad.
The Sharks, which are 2-3, fell 14-4 to Cate and 11-7 to Carpinteria this past week, but gained some important victories, including a standout performance by freshman singles player Grace Prakasim at the Oct. 6 match against Cate.
“Grace won two out of three sets,” Coach Todd Montgomery said. “This was the most she’s ever played consistently. It was her best match so far.”
With Cate being one of the top two teams in the Tri-Valley League, Montgomery used the match as an opportunity for the girls to work on their competitiveness against experienced players.
“Cate is way above us in skill level, so we used the match to work on competitive intensity and not giving up. The girls are also able to practice specific skills when we face these really hard servers,” Montgomery said.
The Sharks’ Oct. 8 match against Carpinteria resulted in a closer battle and some solid performances, despite a difficult loss.
Sophomore doubles standout Olivia Thonson led the Sharks with two set victories — one alongside freshman Sierra Brady and one alongside sophomore Sydney Leib.
In the singles competition, Prakasim contributed to the Sharks’ score with one match victory, new player Amalia Small won her first set 6-1 and doubles player Harley Arer won a singles match while filling in for an absent teammate.
“No one crumbled under the pressure,” junior Alexa Barton said of the team’s strengths during the match. “Grace fought until the very end even when we already knew we had lost.”
Thursday’s loss came after a Sharks victory over Carpinteria earlier this season.
“Our ability is close to theirs,” Montgomery said of Carpinteria’s squad. “Although we were missing our number one player, I’m really happy with the degree of tennis and overall fight. It was very inspiring.”
This year’s team is composed of mostly underclassmen with no previous tournament experience, but Montgomery has seen improvements from last season in returning players’ skills.
“Last year was the first year we didn’t have a dominant team,” he said. “This year’s team is a little more experienced competitively and knows how to handle a match better. A lot of the girls went to tennis camps over the summer and came back stronger.”
Montgomery said he sees potential and eagerness to improve in many of the younger players, including Prakasim and Brady, and expects to see standout performances from junior singles player Kate Lasky in the coming matches.
With three matches remaining in the 2015-16 regular season, the Sharks have their sights set on qualifying for CIF playoffs. Three out of the five teams in the Tri-Valley league will qualify for post-season competition.
“We still have a chance to get to CIF but it will be really close,” Barton said. “We just want to keep doing what we’re doing. It’s going to be hard, but I think we can do it.”
The Sharks will face Nordhoff on Oct. 15 for their next match.