Menlo’s varsity girls tennis team finished the regular season 21-3, winning a league title and securing the number one overall seed in the CCS playoffs. The team fell to the eventual CIF state champions, Los Altos High School, in the CCS semifinal.
In his second season as the team’s head coach, Francis Sargeant said he felt far more settled in his role. “I definitely have a better relationship with the girls than last season. I think that really helps with the success both on and off the court.”
Early in the season, the Knights captured the Tyler Nii Championship Cup title, defeating Los Altos 5-2.
After a fourth-place finish in the Golden State Classic All-Doubles Tournament in September, the Knights made history at the annual Point Loma Invitational in San Diego. “It was special because we were the first NorCal team in history to win the tournament,” junior Sophia Jia said.
Although Menlo would fall short in the CCS Semifinals to Los Altos 4-3, Sargent had praise for how close the team had become. “They really show how much they care for each other,” Sargeant said, “We got three graduating seniors, with Elsa [Sonsini], Elise [Chen] and Sulia [Gayle], and hopefully they’ll look back on this as a highlight of their Menlo experience.”
