Continuing their early season success on Tuesday, Sept. 16, the varsity tennis team took the victory against the Vandegrift Vipers, a team ranked by the Texas Tennis Coaches Association to be 11th overall in Texas. Playing precise tennis from start to finish, the Warriors outmaneuvered and outhit the Vipers in one of their biggest and most challenging games of the season.

These early games serve as a proving ground for a new roster, where the coaches are able to give their first pieces of advice to a new generation of players and begin to build strong team morale. This year’s varsity team introduces new, talented freshmen to the roster, giving them the opportunity to play with more seasoned upperclassmen and gain valuable experience in the process.

“Westwood is doing pretty well. [We continue to be] undefeated, [ranked] number one in the state,” Ethan Wang ‘29 said “We are a well rounded team, and as I see the games play out, I think we are up in every game.”  

Some games did pose the Warriors a challenge, with Vandergrift taking early leads in multiple different matches by playing consistent groundstrokes and minimizing unforced errors. However, keeping their composure even when down allowed the Warriors to take the stride. With perseverance and adaptation, Westwood emerged victorious. 

“We had a bad start but we [managed] to push through and finish the game very strong,” Gavin Wang ‘27 said. “We were serving very good, we played very aggressive and I think that’s why we won.”

Aside from multiple big wins for the Warriors, the game against the Vipers also served as a training ground for the team to work on their soft skills and grow as a community in the process. 

“[I found that] communication was the most important part. I played with my brother and [communication made us] play well,” Kavish Parikh ‘29 said. “[The game] is fun and we are able to mess around and try new shots on court. The other freshman and us were close before, but we’re even closer now.”

The Warrior won against Vandergrift in an impressive 15-4 fashion. Slaying the Vipers, the Warriors will take on the Westlake Chaps in their next home game on Wednesday, Sept. 24.

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.

Winning their first two matches, the Warriors started off strong, putting the skills they’ve worked so hard at perfecting on display. The Warriors continued this momentum in many of their other matches, cementing strong leads. But, in the end, the Dragons were able to find their footing and perform large comebacks, winning most of their matches. However soon, Elliot Fearnow ‘26 was barely edged out in the tiebreaker against his opponent in his match. Throughout the game, Elliot displayed strong playing but as a result of a few uncertain calls and a rather swift comeback by his opponent, he was ultimately usurped.

“[The outcome of my match] was not the best,” Fearnow said. “I would have liked to win, but I played okay so I’m not too disappointed. Round Rock has a lot of good players on JV and I still think [my team] played alright.”

While the Warriors’ morale was down, as they had lost their last game, they were also hopeful. Following many of their matches, they received strong encouragement and constructive criticism from their coach. In the end, the Warriors need to focus on not only gaining momentum but maintaining it.

Both JV Orange and Black have ended their seasons, but varsity will play their district tournament finals on Wednesday, Oct. 2, hopefully bringing home the gold.

Each player showed off their hours of practice with powerful forehanded strikes and serves. Specifically, in the singles matches, Saisha Singh ‘28 adeptly took care of her match 8-2. Soon after in the doubles matches, Singh and her partner won 8-0.

Deep into the game, Evan Graham ‘28 and his duo took another final score of 8-2 for the Warriors, crushing their opponents despite the matches starting rough.

“We started 0-2,” Graham said. “But then we got our heads back in the game. I think I can improve on my backhands and left-hand volleys. I just want to [show off] to the best of my ability, and that’ll make me really happy.” 

Despite shoving every last effort into the match, there were some inevitable losses, but the overall score of the meet still held strong and showed off the Warrior’s skill. 

“[My opponents] were pretty good,” Matthew Park ‘28 said. “I was a bit sad that I lost because everyone else had won, but I think if I played a little better I could’ve beat them. I could work on my backhands and forehands and hit stronger shots.”

JV Orange will play against Round Rock High School on the Warrior Home Court on Thursday, Sept. 26.

“We’re not where we need to be yet, but we have a long season and I’m excited to see where it’s gonna go,” Varsity Coach Dalrymple said. “Alamo Heights is always a very good team and the fact we beat them is a good sign for things to come.”

One of the sweeping victories of the game was the matches in line one, women’s doubles, Seniors, Janya Tellabati and Anwitha Dukuda with the score of 6-1, 6-1.

“It was pretty good, it could have gone a little bit better,” Tellabati said. “It’s our second ever team match [and] all together it went pretty well.”

The line two girls doubles team: Lily Wang ‘27 and Maya Rajan ‘28 showed off their hard work and skills with a clean 6-0 in the first half of their match. They then locked down a 6-4 win in the second half.

“We were playing pretty well in the first set so we won really easily,” Wang said. “Then in the second set we started getting a little frustrated and were missing more balls and so we lost a few games but in the end, we were able to win.”

The line two girls’ team plans on working even harder on their technique and offense before their next match.

“One of the most important things on our team is for doubles we want to be really aggressive at the net,” Chen said.

The varsity tennis team has received many new members, two of which came out of the country.

“We got a bunch of new members and they need to learn our culture and what we do here,” Coach Dalrymple said. “ There’s a lot of teaching and becoming assimilated to the program.”

The varsity tennis coaches look forward to the upcoming season and how the varsity tennis team will perform in the face of adversity as the season goes on.

“[I’m] just excited about the season and I’m really excited to see what the new members can contribute,” Coach Dalrymple said.

Varsity tennis will play Westlake on Thursday, Aug. 29.

On Thursday, Oct. 26, the Westwood varsity tennis team clinched their fourth 6A Team Tennis Championship with a 10-3 win against the Houston Memorial Mustangs. 

“Being a junior, [this year] was very nerve-wracking,” line one women’s varsity player Anwitha Duduka ‘25 said. “My freshman year, we lost State in the first round of Regionals, and to be at State two years in a row, we knew in a snap, this could all go away.”

However, the championship journey started by clocking in at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 25, with the team’s arrival at Baylor University’s Hurd Tennis Center for their semi-final matches. 

“We start with doubles, which was nice because we had the comfort of our partners,” Duduka said.

The Warriors dominated in all six doubles matches against Woodlands High School, including line one women’s partners Duduka and Simryn Jacob ‘24 who destroyed their opponents 6-1 and 6-3. Westwood then went on to sweep in four more singles matches against Woodlands ending the semi-finals with a 10-1 win, qualifying for finals against Houston Memorial the next day.

“We got the last four matches pretty fast, concluding semis,” Duduka said. “Which was nice, we had that confidence going into finals. But at the same time, Memorial had a high score, they concluded semis with a 10-3 lead. We were all pretty nervous after seeing that score.”

Due to a 90% chance of rain on Thursday, finals were postponed from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., cultivating an uncertainty to when the courts would dry and be suitable for the matches. 

“It was horrible because we had all these nerves, and we just wanted to get out there and play,” Duduka said. “But with the rain delays, that wasn’t an option.”

Due to the unfavorable weather, buses with JV players were canceled, leaving varsity with a small audience of family members as opposed to their typical large crowds. The pressure of legacy lingered perpetually among the team; in this players sought ways to make the best of their unideal circumstances.

“The number of supporters we had [was] little to none, only parents and some siblings, and in high school tennis, people love to get loud,” Duduka said. “Your win is almost guaranteed based on how loud you get. We tried to make posters. I ordered posters and markers just to do something.”

Despite the conditions, the team dominated in all their matches, ending in the first time the Westwood Warriors won the title in two consecutive years. After the matches, the players attributed the outcome to dedication, practice, and community.

“It was even more special this year because of the seniors, they make up more than half the lineup,” Duduka said. “It was a slaughterhouse, just great.”

On Wednesday, Sept. 27, the varsity tennis team matched up against Cedar Ridge High School on the Warriors’ home court. The Warriors have reason to celebrate shutting out the Raiders with victories in all 19 matches, and giving players a reason to look ahead to district games.

This game concluded their matches against other schools, moving onto district opponents. Their first district playoff will be the quarter-finals next week.

In the mixed doubles division, the duo of Faith Ou ‘27 and Devon Zhang ‘26 secured victory with a scores of 6-2 and 6-0.

“I could have done better, but I still secured the win,” Ou said. “I’m really excited for the district game. It’s my first district game, and I’m going to try to make an effort to come into the net more.”

Daniel Zhang ‘26 and Arjun Rajan ‘25 showed off their well-meshed teamwork together, scoring 6-0 and 6-2. Continuing the winning streak, Rajan later scored 8-1 in his singles match.

“I think the district quarter finals will be pretty easy,” Zhang said. “I think I just need to practice on my overheads.”

In the girls doubles division, 3 pairs including Aly Oancea ‘27, Leah Kardonik ’27, Evelyn Castellani ‘24, and Zoe Chen ‘25 all secured their win with scores with clean sweeps of 6-0 for all games.

Brooke Xu ‘24 demonstrated her skill with a well played performance in two of her matches, scoring 8-1 in her singles and 6-0 in her doubles. She worked with Samantha Tang ‘25 to take an impressive win.

“I think when it comes to tennis, you can never play perfect,” Xu said. “Everyone has stuff they need to work on, but I think especially with our team, since we practice so much, we’ll be ready for district.”

Varsity tennis will play in the district quarter-finals on Monday, Oct. 2nd.

From start to finish, the Warriors kept the pressure on and continued increasing their lead and separating themselves from the Dragons. Westwood had little trouble in the doubles and singles matches, with only a few losses contrasted by multiple 8-0 sweeps. Anika Aslesh ‘26 and Maggie Lee ‘25 demonstrated this in their landslide victories, proving too much for their opponents, and completing the sweep.

“I thought my ground strikes were good, but I still need to work on my volleys,” Aslesh said. “[Lee] is a really reliable doubles partner and I love playing with her because she’s very supportive. I didn’t play bad [in my singles match], there weren’t that many rallies. I feel like I could’ve worked on my aggressive shots but I think I played well. I won my singles match 8-0.”

Although closing their season on a high point, the Warriors wanted to stay humble, and noted things that could have been better or simply times where the match didn’t go their way. Anya Gupta ‘26 and Leila Tavassoli ‘25 lost both of their matches in spite of their quality teamwork.

“I honestly could have been better,” Gupta said. “But it was a good match, [and] they were good opponents. It was close. Leila is an amazing teammate [and] she was encouraging throughout. Anytime I messed up she said ‘you got this’. I’ve improved quite a bit since I joined the tennis program. My forehands, backhands, and volleys have gotten better.”

Of the few losses, the matchups still remained close, and the Warriors that lost quickly recovered. Sanjana Aslesh ‘26 lost her doubles match 8-6 , but regrouped, readjusted, and later won her singles match 8-3.

“I didn’t play too well today,” Aslesh said. “Some days I play well but today I double faulted a lot, so I do need to work on a few things. I think that [Shardul and I] worked together fine. In my singles match, I played pretty well because I’m usually better when playing alone. But, I did also double fault [during my singles match].”

Although officially this was the last match of the season, the Warriors may have to make up for the match that rained out in the week prior, and will likely play in November.

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.