On Wednesday, Sep. 10, the JV Black Tennis smashed the Round Rock Dragons, with a score of 15-4. The Warriors started their third home game of the season off with a bang. From the opening point to the last serve, the Warriors stayed composed and competitive in both singles and doubles matches, adding another strong home victory to their record.

Opening the tournament, the Warriors were undefeated. Jensen Hare ’27 and Ananth Sridhar ’27 set the tone for the Warriors, opening the day with a quick win against the Dragons. Hare and Sridhar not only won the doubles match, but did it in by keeping the Dragons under four points between both of their victorious sets. The scores of each set are: 6-2, 2-6, and 10-3. Following this match, Tiffany Cheng ‘29 took home another Warrior win in the singles category. With no competition, Cheng’s sharp receives held the Dragons to zero points. Cheng won with a total score of 8-0. 

“It definitely was a tough match,” said Sridhar. “We’re definitely the ones that beat ourselves up [causing the one lost set].”

During their match against the Dragons, Hare and Sridhar faced tough competition, with both duos battling point for point. The match grew intense as it moved to the third set, where neither side backed down. Ultimately, Hare and Sridhar held their ground, turning the final set into a hard fought showdown between the Warriors and the Dragons.

“[I want to improve on] mentality throughout the match and just keeping myself in check throughout the match,” said Sridhar. 

At the start of Cheng’s match, the rallies began at a steady pace as both players worked to find their rhythm. As the match progressed, the ball began to go back and forth intensely, but Cheng stayed composed and in control. Her sharp receives and consistent placement left her opponent struggling to keep up. Dominating from start to finish, she swept the court with a success 8-0 victory for the Warriors.

“[Throughout the match,]I learned to be more patient and consistent while I was hitting against my opponent,” said Cheng. 

Looking ahead, the Westwood Warriors showed strong teamwork and steady play, with confident performance from everyone. Their ability to stay calm in long rallies and adjust to their opponent helped secure the win. With this momentum, they are set up well for their next matches and aim to keep building on their success. 

The JV Black team will play against Vandegrift High School on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at the Warrior’s Home Court.

For Ms. Flores, teaching wasn’t initially her idea. Growing up in a tiny town and attending a small school, she never imagined herself standing at the front of a classroom. Her spirit for education was always present, however: during high school, Ms. Flores taught other students their science class material. Finding her teaching experience arduous, she believed education wasn’t the right fit for her — an unexpected path for a current educator.

“I’ve always had a love for science, and I will be honest, I did not originally want to be a teacher,” Ms. Flores said. “But in high school, I got cursed by my biology teacher. She was my science teacher all four years [of] science. If we did a lab or a dissection, she had me show the other students.”

After her high school years passed, Ms. Flores attended Texas A&M university, graduating with a degree in finance. While working in finance, the 2001 recession struck her company, and amidst the turmoil, Ms. Flores found herself in a difficult spot.

“During the 2001 recession, I lost my job because they closed the offices,” Ms. Flores said. “My aunts were teachers, and they were like, ‘Why don’t you come and shadow us?’ so I went and saw what they did, and it was interesting enough for me. I literally walked into Concordia University to ask questions about teaching, and they gave me a scholarship to go back to school and become a teacher.”

After getting her bachelor’s degree in education, Ms. Flores began her career at McNeil High School, where she taught Human Body Systems and IPC for seven years. Following her time at McNeil, she furthered her experience through teaching at summer school, working closely with Westwood teachers. As a result of her dedication over the summer, she received a formal invitation to join the Westwood faculty. As a new staff member, Ms. Flores is committed to creating a welcoming and engaging learning environment. With her unique career background, Ms. Flores aims to make biology and IPC more engaging for students that are not interested in science — a position she was all too familiar with in high school.

“I like to prove them wrong,” Ms. Flores said. “Science doesn’t have to be boring. I want students to see how it connects to their lives.”

Outside of teaching, Ms. Flores enjoys cooking, watching movies, reading, and listening to music. She is also an animal-lover, owning six cats and two dogs.

For Ms. Flores, the joy of teaching comes from engaging her students in lessons and sharing meaningful and applicable knowledge. She finds the most rewarding moments in seeing their excitement, whether it’s the spark of curiosity during class discussions, pride in understanding a hard concept, or return of a grateful former student. Every interaction, whether big or small, makes her happier to teach and strengthens the lasting impact she hopes to have on her students’ lives.

“The most rewarding part of teaching is when I’m able to create a lesson or an activity, and I can see it in their eyes that they’re enjoying it,” Ms. Flores said. “Another rewarding part is when students come back and say, ‘I still remember that one thing we did in class. I felt really, really good and confident in your class.’ That fills my bucket.”

“One word I’d use to describe myself is ‘enthusiastic’,” Ms. Flores said. “The enthusiasm that I have for this profession, for helping new teachers get better, and for helping old teachers share their ideas.”

In a series of intense matches, the Westwood varsity tennis team defeated the Coronado Cougars from Las Vegas with a dominant score of 15-4 on Friday, Sept. 5. The courts were filled with energy and excitement as teammates and families cheered on the players during their sixth home game of the season. From the first serve to the last point the Warriors showed consistency and focus on singles and doubles, adding another victorious home game win for the Warriors this season. 

Going into this tournament, the Warriors were undefeated in the boys, girls, and mixed doubles division. Jiya Guleria ‘28 and Lenny Xu ‘29 won their mixed doubles matches in a blow out, taking the victory 6-0, and 6-1. A win by Janya Tellabati ‘25 and Isabella Sthormes ‘27 soon followed, with a little more competition, however the Warriors were able to connect on the win in the third set winning their match 6-4, 2-6 and a 10-8.

“I mean, it’s an honor to play someone from all the way from Las Vegas,” said Tellabati. “I really enjoyed it. It was really hard, actually, but we tried and I think we did good.”

Towards the end of Sthormes and Tellabati’s match, a call by Westwood caused conflict between the two opposing duos. The penalty shook up the players and caused the third set to be the closest one played between the two duos.

“I think we respected all of their calls and they should have respected all of ours,” said Tellabati. “I trust my partner. I’m too far to tell, but I believe her and I do think that was out.”

Guleria continued her winning streak in the women’s line five singles for girls, sweeping her opponent with a score of 8-2. While the women’s team was having great success, so were the men’s. Kishan Anasuri ‘28 secured a quick win of 8-2 for the Warriors in men’s singles. 

“I played alright but definitely could have done better and played smarter,” said Anasuri. “I will use this match as a reminder to not be too overconfident and stay humble because this match should have been 8-0 but I tried to hit too big and ended up giving him some games. I want to work on hitting bigger more consistently.”

Both varsity tennis teams will play against Round Rock High School in an exciting match on Sept. 10 on the Warrior Home Court.