Valencia Vikings girls’ tennis blazed through its league opener match with the Hart Hawks on Wednesday.
The Vikings won the match, 13-5, both bringing and beating the heat, as the weather pushed the showdown to a later time under the lights at College of the Canyons.
Valencia saw perfect 3-0 days from its top two singles players and doubles teams in the win. Vikings freshman Keira Rand opened up league play as Valencia’s No. 1 singles player and showed she belonged. Rand bested Hart No. 1 Sofia Ganshirt, the league’s reigning bronze medalist, 7-6, with a 7-4 sudden death set win.
Rand has impressed Vikes head coach Darrell Peries with so much high school tennis left in front of her.
“Keira enjoys competing and is always up for a challenge,” Peries said via text message. “She doesn’t get rattled easily … The first set with Keira and Sofia was a battle. I think her being able to pull of the win in the tiebreak boosted her confidence, as Sofia is one of the stronger singles competitors in the Foothill League.”
Rand finished the day with 7-6, 6-0, 6-0 wins.
Valencia No. 2 singles Samara Wijesundera also played clean en route to 6-1, 6-4 and 6-0 wins on the day.
In doubles, Vikings doubles No. 2 Izzy Bronstein and Jiya Sanghani made quick work of their Hawk counterparts, winning their sets 6-0, 6-0, 6-1.
“We are still experimenting with putting together the right partnerships,” Peries said. “It’s really important finding chemistry, that complements each other’s game … The partnership with Jiya and Izzy is one that we may stick with. They had a strong performance all around, and showed a lot of poise together.”
Valencia’s top duo Nitya Kotha and Ritu Yeshala were nearly as dominant, with 6-1, 6-1 and 6-2 wins.
Hart fell short on the day to the reigning Foothill League champs but Hawks coach Allan Hardbarger knows his team will still improve and contend for a championship.
“We have scheduled some tough opponents in the offseason this year, and we are improving every day,” Hardbarger said via email. “Valencia is the defending champion, and we came up short. But I think that if we play our best, Hart always has a chance to win a league title.”
All of Hart’s doubles teams ended the day with one win each, including No. 3 duo Emma Barker and Kayla Roskilly, who impressed their coach on Wednesday. “I was very impressed with Emma Barker and Kayla Roskilly’s matches on Wednesday. They move well and have great chemistry on the court. I think that they will be a team to watch this season.”
For the Hawks’ singles, Ganshirt and Hawks No. 2 singles player Claire Richardi earned 6-0 wins.
“Sofia has been working long hours this offseason and has the potential to be one of the best players in the league this year,” Hardbarger said. “Although Sofia did not have the results that she hoped for on Wednesday, I have no doubt that Sofia will return next week with renewed focus and motivation.”
Barring more excessive heat, Valencia returns home to host Saugus on Tuesday while Hart returns to the courts Thursday at Golden Valley. Both matches are slated for 3 p.m.
