By SHAWNLY KHOYILAR
Staff Writer
Girls varsity tennis began their season with a successful tournament against ninth-seeded Mater Dei, fourth-seeded Palos Verdes, and eighth-seeded Christian Oaks in Southern California Division I. The girls lost to Palos Verdes 2-6 but won against Mater Dei 5-3 and Christian Oaks 6-2.
Standout winners were Ayla Kaghazchi (Sr.) 6-3, Ashi Parashar (Sr.) 6-1, Dana Feng (Jr.) 7-6, Cami Brown (Soph.) 6-3, and Sofia Kabany (Soph.). Feng was a major help to University, winning a very close tiebreak in the first round. Brown, a new addition to the Trojans, brought in many wins in single matches.
The major heat on Thursday did not stop the girls. “The girls played great! It’s the first match and it’s preseason so we’re still getting in our groove but there was not a single person out on the court that was not giving it their all,” Kaghazchi said. She also described how hard the girls have been working for this season. “We practice for 2 hours each day and in the weekends along with matches that don’t have a set ending, we definitely get enough practice, we improve.”
On Friday the girls entered Irvine High’s court with a mindset of winning back the match they lost to Palos Verdes. “The girls did not allow the heat to hinder into our focus,” Parashar said. However, due to the 113 degree heat on Friday, the girls were unable to finish the tournament. The girls were only able to play 3 successful matches and were forced to stop.
The Trojans Look ahead to playing at Dana Hills on September 12.
