Boys’ tennis find success amidst challenging season
The Samo boys’ tennis team started off the season strong with a big win against Venice when the Vikings defeated the Gondoliers 16-2 on Feb. 29. They played their final match on Monday, April 22 against Culver City, ending the season on a high note with a win of 11-7. Although the team performed well on both ends of the season, they faced challenges in consistently holding their form steady. The Samo boys’ tennis team finished the season with a record of 5-9.
Louis Rotgin / The Samohi
Liam MacMahon (’24) sends the ball flying in a match on March 7. After a hard fought match, Samo lost 7-11.
Co-Captain Ryan Chen (’24) believes that although the season wasn’t ideal, important progress was made.
“Unfortunately not the strongest season, yet I’m still proud of the growth that the boys made throughout the season,” Chen said.
The team as a whole did not manage to reach their goal of qualifying for CIF playoffs this year. However, star players Levi Title (’25) and Liam MacMahon (’24) qualified for singles, while Chris Rhee (’25), Hudson White (’25), Audunn Horelick (’27) and Captain Ryan Chen (’24) qualified for doubles. MacMahon’s results were the best of the bunch as he defeated his opponent in the first round, but his run came to an end in his second match.
Co-Captains Chen and David Zhao (’24), along with MacMahon, Dylan Franey (’24), Niko Foster (’24) and Arman Abadi (’24) are all graduating from Samo, and subsequently the tennis program this year. Despite this, the team is in good hands for the future. This year, there were four non-seniors who qualified for CIF, and a new season only provides more opportunities for others to follow suit. This season also marks the last year of competition within the Bay League, as the team will move to the Ocean League in the coming school year. It’s been a long run with the same competition, but the future is full of possibilities.
“Unfortunate that we are leaving such a competitive league, but grateful for the great competition,” Chen said.