Throughout the 2024 season, the Menlo boys tennis team has continued their dominance, capturing a Bay Area Classic title and third place at the Palos Verdes Invitational, along with holding first place in the WBAL. Heading into the season, the team’s goal was clear: they aimed to win a state championship as a farewell gift to legendary 29-year head coach Bill Shine.
The boys have started their season 17-1, with their only loss being to SoCal powerhouse Torrey Pines High School in the semifinals of the Palos Verdes Invitational. The team is using this loss to further motivate them into a potential state final matchup. “It was a really tough loss for us because [Palos Verdes Invitational] is one of the biggest tournaments of the year and we all really wanted to win,” sophomore Yuanye Ma said. “But I think that moving forward, it just motivates us even more towards the state finals where we could play them again and beat them.”
The team lost six seniors, including star player Evan Burnett (‘24) who graduated early to play tennis for the University of Texas at Austin this spring. “It’s been a lot of work; we have a lot of underclassmen on the team,” senior Jackson Deutch said. “So part of the process as seniors and juniors is that we’ve had to develop a team culture and kind of introduce those players into the Menlo tennis team and program.”
A motivating factor for the team is taking home a state championship for Shine. “A big theme this year is playing for Bill because it’s his last year. So we’re trying to cherish every moment, take every practice seriously, do all the work that’s needed because we really respect him and we want to make sure that he goes out on top,” Deutch said.
