By: Hannah Johnson
The Varsity Girls’ Tennis Co-Captains, Antonella Cardenas, ’24 and Jocelyn Arrellano ‘23, share their goals for the team as league season matches begin.
Jocelyn Arrellano, ‘23, and Antonella Cardenas, ‘24, are this year’s girls’ varsity tennis co-captains. Over the course of summer conditioning, pre-season, and now league, both players are looking forward to the responsibilities of their roles.
Cardenas has been playing tennis since she was five years of age. Back when she lived in Venezuela, she began to play for an after-school program. She says, “My mom put me in tennis as an after-school activity and the love for it grew.”
Photo Courtesy of author, Johnson
She plays alongside Arrellano on the court. She has been an active member of the varsity team from her sophomore year to her junior year. “I try to do my best through example,” Cardenas says.
Recently, the team competed in a tournament at Redwood High School on Friday September 16th and Saturday September 17th.
After winning in their doubles match, Cardenas says that the team “always made it to the semi-finals and we never really won anything.”
Cardenas says that the girls worked really hard for this tournament, “We start preparing what we have to play.”
Her team inspires her because “every day they give their best. Every day they come with a smile on their face [and] I feel like we have become more like a family than a team.”
She is really looking forward to continuing this season because “this year’s team is simply amazing in and out of the court.”
Arrellano has played for Redwood since she was eight years old. She has been taking private lessons to become a better player and has played for Redwood varsity since her freshman year.
She is one of the captains on the varsity team and is an outstanding and hardworking player. So far, their team is undefeated this season.
Photo Courtesy of author, Johnson
Her partner in the recent tournament was her co-captain, Cardenas. Arrellano says that they had “a pretty solid lineup for singles and doubles.”
Arrellano now has three tournament wins under her name. She says that she motivates her teammates by “try[ing] to keep everybody in a positive mood. I try to lead everyone into having a good match.”
She is inspired by her team to try her best and put in the effort that it takes to win. “My team inspires me because they are always such uplifting people and they are fun to work with,” Arrellano says.
This year’s tennis coach for the girl’s varsity team is Claire Yang. This is her second year coaching at Redwood, but her first year as the head coach.
Yang is an alumni of Redwood. In her time as a Redwood athlete, she says “My former coach, Rosemarie Lewis, is my inspiration for coaching.” Lewis was her coach throughout her years as a tennis player.
Since the age of seven, Yang has been playing tennis. Now being twenty years old, she has continued the sport for over thirteen years.
The Redwood girls varsity tennis team has always played and competed with effort. Yang says she is thankful to “the players that have stepped up before us.”
Photo Courtesy of Cardenas
She wants to ensure that the players for this year’s varsity tennis team have “an understanding of what it means to represent Redwood.”
Yang says she wants “to continue that legacy and carry that level of prestige that comes with being apart of Redwood Girl’s Tennis.”
To support the Ranger’s Tennis team, their next match will be Tuesday October 4th at Porterville High School.
Hannah Johnson
Hannah Johnson, '25 is a first-year journalism writer for the Redwood Gigantea. She is interested in writing about the Clubs & Lifestyles section. You can reach her at hanna.jo8367@vusd.us.
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