Photo of Esmee Eaton courtesy of Amanda Lin
Thanks to MHS tennis for this report
Girls Tennis:
Maranatha girls tennis capped their regular season today by winning their final 11 matches (after a 1-3 start), going undefeated in league and earning their 8th Olympic League championship in 10 years. Their league record during that time is 83-5 (.943).
To those who follow Maranatha tennis, it would be easy to assume that the Lady Minutemen would win league again and take it for granted; but that would rob this team of the immense amount of hard work, focus, and determination it took for them to achieve this title. It was hard-fought for and hard won.
It certainly wasn’t a forgone conclusion in Coach Arthur Hsieh’s mind, as this was the youngest, most inexperienced team he’s ever coached; but they also were one of the top teams he’s had in terms of attitude, effort, camaraderie, and buy-in. That mix, along with the steady presence and leadership of senior captains, Stella Hsieh and Kasey McCoy, and the consistent commitment of assistant coaches, Sandra Hsieh, and Amanda Lin, proved to be a formidable combination, as the team met its goal of improving every week.
Though they didn’t start out the season as the obvious best team in the league, by the end of it, they left no doubt. The faithful supporters who journeyed with the team from the beginning of the season were treated to a season of transformation from the inside out.
With 9 out of 12 players being new to the team and not knowing each other, the girls grew to like each other, bond, support one another, and link arms to pursue their best character and their best tennis. One member recently stated, “I love this team. It is like family.”
Though they’re not at the level of contending for a CIF-SS championship this season, it’s clear they’ve won something of even greater value: friendship, respect, and the ability to produce their best when their best is needed.
The team will take a break from team competition next week to compete in the Olympic League Individuals Tournament. The tournament will consist of the league’s top 8 singles players and doubles teams, who will compete for the right to represent the league in the prestigious CIF-SS Individuals Tournament, the largest high school tournament of its kind in the nation. The top two finishers will qualify.
Leading the way will be Maranatha’s own Stella Hsieh, who is the 2022 Olympic League Singles MVP, with a perfect 24-0 record. She will be the top seed.
The doubles MVP race is a tight one and could not be decided in the regular season, leaving the tournament to be the decider. Maranatha’s Kasey McCoy/Esmee Eaton and Mia Huang/Mia Su are the two front runners for the award.
Marantha finishes the regular season 12-3 overall and 8-0 in league.
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