On Wednesday, Sept. 20, the JV Orange tennis team crushed the Georgetown Eagles in their final match of the season, with a comfortable score of 15-4.
JV Orange ends their performance on the courts with success, marking the conclusion of their ‘23-’24 season. Reflecting the Westwood tennis department’s unbeaten yet finely focused back-to-back wins this year, concluding their season with a winning streak to account for.
“I think a golden streak would be nice—all wins—and it’s actually a pretty reasonable goal too,” JV Orange player Milo Garcia ‘25 said. “I think [Westwood Tennis] can do it if we work hard enough.”
Looking back on what has been a rather fruitful season, many of the JV Orange players found themselves reflecting on their general play; what they did well—and how that contributed to their overall performance, as well as what they would like to improve on in order to establish goals for the rest of the school year.
“I think my serves have been pretty solid, and I haven’t faltered lately,” Garcia said. “But I’m trying to improve my forehand more as we go. I’m kind of recovering from a broken wrist right now, so I’m trying to get the feel of the sport back again.”
Karen Chen ‘26 and her partner Sarah Yang ‘27 edged past their Georgetown counterparts in a close but swift victory 8-5. When recalling the ups and downs of their match, Chen attributed much of their success to their teamwork and strategies to work well together.
“I think I have great communication with my partner,” Chen said. “We’ve also been communicating on what we’ve been doing wrong every match, which helps us play better as a team. Last year, I think I strived to be more of a singles player, but this year, I’ve been trying to work harder on team-playing.”
Varun Sanghavi ‘27 dominated in both of his men’s doubles and singles matches, emerging triumphant, winning 8-2 in the doubles series with his partner Garcia, and 8-1 in his singles match. As a freshman, Sanghavi has come to value tennis as a much appreciated break from the rigor of high school, and is grateful to be able to do what he loves as a part of his new academic endeavors.
“It takes away a lot of stress, because tennis is a lot of fun for me,” Sanghavi said. “Obviously you don’t get a lot of homework, besides practicing, and that’s fun.”
Even amongst the rest of the Westwood tennis department, according to their fellow players on JV Black, JV Orange has begun to create a unique identity for themselves through their strength, stamina, and success.
“This is actually their first match that we’ve been able to watch,JV Black player Anika Aslesh ‘26 said. “It’s their first home match, but I think overall they have really good topspin. “I know some of the players on Black team have good topspin but it’s not as strong. I also know that a lot of the boys and girls have a really good dynamic, which is key to success.”
Though the season may be over, JV Orange is nowhere near done playing for the year. As districts and state start to approach once more, the weight of starting off ranked #1 in the state begins to fully settle in. JV Orange hopes to achieve similar levels of success this year as they siphon off the energy and spirit of last year’s state championship.
“[Winning state] gave us a stronger mindset because, you know, we’re number one,” Chen said. “But it also gave us more pressure to keep on going, being strong, and remaining number one.”
JV Orange wraps up their collective season, and will now look ahead to the 2024 season.
