Match Point: Boys’ Tennis Secures Victory Over San Marcos High

Suhana Kaur and Annie Xiao

Doubles player and sophomore Aditya Joshi tosses the ball into the air in preparation to serve during the second set. Joshi and his partner, junior Smaran Mallojula, won the set 6-2. “I think overall the team did pretty good,” singles player and sophomore Anthony Nguyen said. “I’m pretty happy with the outcome.”

Boys’ tennis (1-0) won 14-4 in a home match against San Marcos High on March 1. The Bulldogs’ next match will be away against Irvine High on March 13.

The first two doubles and four singles matches were a victory for the Bulldogs, who led 6-1 at the end of the first round. Although faced with a slow opening, according to singles player and sophomore Anthony Nguyen, the Bulldogs were able to catch on quickly with their team cohesion.

“I kept my composure,” Anthony Nguyen said. “Since I had a slow start, I tried to just cool myself down, and then after that, it just started going better.”

Likewise, co-captain, doubles player and senior Payton Nguyen had good chemistry with his partner freshman Garran McKay, winning their match 6-3. However, more thought could have been placed in the shot selection of the ball, according to Payton Nguyen.

As the Bulldogs do not typically play the Knights since they are not in Pacific Coast League, this match provided an opportunity to experiment with different lineups and assess where players could fit for future matches, according to head coach Natasha Schottland.

“We had two of our boys playing doubles who potentially will go to Ojai, which is a prestigious tournament in April,” Schottland said. “So we tested them out today. It was good — allowing everyone to play — and some testing of new doubles pairings.”

This season, the team aims to place second in the Pacific Coast League, according to Schottland. Additionally, after falling short during the 2023-24 season, the Bulldogs hope to win CIF as they did during the 2023-24 season, according to Payton Nguyen. To meet these goals, the team has been training intensely during their daily 2 1/2-hour practices with drills and practice sets, working on their technical and mental skills to succeed, according to Schottland.

“If we’re placed in Division 1, I think this team definitely has the capability to go pretty far in playoffs,” Schottland said. “If we were [to place] in open, that’s just higher competition, higher level of tennis, and the boys need to step up to the plate and do it, which they can.”

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About the Contributors

Suhana Kaur, Staff Writer

Suhana Kaur is a staff writer for her first year on the Portola Pilot. She’s looking forward to writing stories (especially features!) and conducting lots of interviews. Aside from procrastinating on everything, she’s usually plugged into very loud music, saving the city (she’s Spiderman) or reading. She’s trying to write a profound novel, but it’s not going so well because she’s a procrastinator. Sometimes you’ll find her half-conscious scrolling on mukbang reels.

Annie Xiao, Staff Writer

Annie Xiao is a staff writer for her first year on the Portola Pilot. When Annie is not worrying about failing EM2 and AP HUG, she can be found in the dance studio pursuing her passion for Chinese Dance or racking up an astonishing screen time on Instagram reels. Annie identifies herself as a huge foodie and loves sipping on the occasional matcha latte while enjoying all sorts of delicious asian cuisines. This year, Annie is really looking forward to making lasting connections within the Pilot community!