The Menlo girls tennis team continued a decades-long run of dominance in 2024, clinching first place in the West Bay Athletic League and second place in the Central Coast Section. It was good enough to earn them a spot in the NorCal tournament in new head coach Francis Sargeant’s first year taking over for former head coach Bill Shine after Shine’s retirement.
But their dreams of another State title run came up short after a heartbreaking 4-3 loss against Los Altos High School in the NorCal final on Dec. 4. The team lost to Los Altos 5-2 in the CCS finals on November 16. “We did a really good job. It was such a close match, and I was super proud of the girls after because they all believed they could win, even though we were underdogs, and we really gave ourselves such a good shot of winning,” Sargeant said.
Junior captain Elise Chen, who plays one singles, had a 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 victory in the NorCal finals after losing 1-6, 2-6 in the CCS finals. “I think the team’s success comes from everyone, especially at NorCal in the final match,” Chen said. “No person was quiet during the match, everyone made their voice heard even if they weren’t playing.”
At the beginning of the season, there were some worries about the transition of coaches, but they were quickly put to rest. “I was a little worried about transitioning from Coach Bill, who we had for so long, to Francis. But I think Francis did a great job, not only with the technical side and helping us improve our double skills, but also making sure we felt heard and bringing the team together,” senior captain Kate Hsia said. “He emphasizes spirit and camaraderie a lot, whether it’s in practice, just cheering on courts next to you or in matches.”
Sargeant attributed the team’s success to their work ethic. “The girls work hard day in and day out,” he said. “They got a little bit better every single day when they came out, and that culminated in the success we had later on in the season.”
