Solid season, but Coachella Valley girls' tennis knocked out in CIF-SS first round
The Coachella Valley High School girls' tennis team had already checked most of the boxes off their list before the CIF-SS playoffs began Wednesday.
The Arabs won the Desert Valley League team title. The DVL individual singles championship was a Coachella Valley vs. Coachella Valley matchup. And the young team has grown together and gained valuable experience.
That's why an opening-round 12-6 loss to visiting Valley View High School from Ontario didn't sting as much as it could have. Of course, they wanted to win, but a deep playoff run, especially in the difficult Division 4, wasn't in the cards.
"I am happy with this team, and I think we accomplished some good things," said coach Tho Duong. "What is great about this group is they are eager to practice and willing to learn, and that is not something you always find."
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In Wednesday's loss, no one went home empty-handed for the Arabs. Everyone who took the court earned one victory. All three Coachella Valley singles players -- Nevaeh Robles, Kamila Cortez and Jacqueline Corona -- each won one set. And it was the same thing for all three doubles teams -- Veronica Gonzalez and Daffen Rodriguez, Natalia Lopez and Isabella Partida-Lopez as well as Lillian Ruiz and Anna Calderon.
The Arabs expect the successes of recent years to carry over. Many of this year's top players will return including Cortez, who was the Desert Valley League champion, and Robles, who was the runner-up.
"I feel like they pretty much are new players this year, and we have a lot of them coming back, and I think as we continue to do well and people hear about it, we can recruit new players too," Duong said.
Wednesday's match was played at Palm Valley Country Club in Palm Desert, which, for the Arabs, is par for the course to use a mixed-sports metaphor. The high school only has four tennis courts and six are required to hold a high school match.
That's what makes the Arabs' success even more impressive is that they have to overcome not only their opponents, but also the gap in facilities and convenience that having a home court to play on provides. To say nothing of never having students and faculty cheering them on like other teams do.
"We wish we had more than four courts at our school," Duong said. "The schools we play, even in the DVL, all have eight, 10, even 12 courts sometimes. But these girls have fun out there, and they are learning and getting better and it's good to see."
Shad Powers covers high school sports reach him at shad.powers@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: CIF-SS tennis: Coachella Valley upended in opening round
