The varsity tennis team has been adjusting to new leadership this year under head coach Alejandro Rivera, who stepped into the role two months ago. With this time, Rivera said he’s already seen progress. 

“Well, I’ve only had about two months with the students, but I think I’ve been doing a good job so far,” Rivera said. “I would rate myself currently doing an eight out of ten. There are some things I can still improve on, but I have already noticed some improvement in some of the students compared to last year.” 

For players like junior Akio Cabales, the growth has also been clear.  

“I came from barely knowing how to hit a ball to now being able to compete with the best school,” Akio said. 

That type of progress, Rivera explained, comes from the team’s focus on patience and repetition. 

   “What I’ve been focusing on mainly is consistency and patience,” Rivera said. “They all like to hit hard, but what I’ve been doing is telling them to slow it down, making them drill over and over until they get that shot ten out of ten times.” 

According to Rivera, their preparation was tested when they went against El Paso High. The game ended in a 0-19 loss for the team.  

“Our toughest opponent has always been El Paso High,” Rivera said. 

Since then, the tennis team has responded with strong wins against Jefferson (15-4) and Canutillo (10-0). Rivera highlighted how players have used matches to try out new serving techniques and hitting styles.  

“What went really well was the communication between my players,” Rivera said. “They understood that this was for practice, and that this was an opportunity to try different things and to keep their consistency up.” 

Sophomore Luis Chavez said he listens to blues or chill music to get into the right mentality.  

“Usually, I try to listen to music to calm down and not to get angry,” Luis said. 

Akio said he resets by thinking about games he’s won, and time spent with friends.  

“You can’t go into a game being all angry and sensitive,” he said. “You have to be composed throughout the game.” 

Rivera encourages this approach and said that the enjoyment of playing is key. 

“The number one important thing that I’ve been telling them is that they have to enjoy it,” he said. “They can’t bring themselves down when they lose, and they can’t act like they’re better than another person when they win. They have to realize that this is a sport and that we’re all humans in the end.”