Boys' tennis season wrap up

After countless drills, matches and tournaments, boys’ tennis season ended after a 16-2 loss against defending champions, San Marino High School, in a California Interscholastic (CIF) quarterfinal game.Yet, according to Samo tennis captain Ben Gelfand (’14),  the team played as well as they could.“It was a tough draw and a tough way to go out, but we fought hard and had a great season overall,” Gelfand said.This year, the team emphasized strengthening their doubles playing. Elliot Gross (’15) tennis accomplished their goal.“We had a strong season and other than losing in CIF, our doubles teams were the strongest they have ever been,” Gross said.For Gross, mirroring Glefand allowed him to aquire new skills and grow as a player.“It was great to have an experienced tournament player as my partner,” Gross said. “He got to show me the ropes as well as produce some great plays.”Gross and Gelfand lost only 2-3 sets during the entire season, as well as achieving a spot as one of 32 best teams in Southern California.The tight bonds between doubles players often helped them work together efficiently, according to varsity player Jacob Wasserman (’15).“Being so close had its advantages,” Wasserman said. “Everyone’s friend with each other, and it shows on the court.”Doubles playing, however, is just one aspect of the game. While the team’s doubles games may have flourished, the players became so close that they would often lose focus.“Team chemistry wasn’t a problem this year,” Wasserman said. “The problem was that we’d look at each other more as friends than as teammates and competitors.”Unfortunately, the lack of professionalism was the team’s biggest weakness. The team lost in the quarterfinals of CIF against San Marino High School, the same team Samo lost against to last year.According to junior varsity player Evan Hiltunen (’16), tennis’ loss against San Marino came as a disappointment to the team, but they are working hard for a better season next year.“I think we played well as a team and even though we lost, we are going to work hard and do even better next season,” Hiltunen said.Varsity player Ben Stackel (‘16) has hope that the team will improve next season due to the potential of the players.“We had a great season,” Stackel said. “It was disappointing to lose, but I know we’ll do better next year.”For most of the team, including coach Wilston Poon, the season was an enjoyable and memorable experience.“We won some and lost some, but we still had a great time in the end,” Poon said. “I’m lucky to have such a good group of guys who were self motivated and had a fun attitude. I hope I will have this type of group in future seasons.”gziaukus@thesamohi.com