Eagles hope for a double take

Bryce Alderton

Speculation can abound as to the cause, but there is no disputing the

facts.

Rachel de los Santos, Estancia High’s girls tennis coach who

enters her third season, said there have been 45 players interested

in joining a program which advanced to the CIF Southern Section

Division V playoffs a year ago.

“I was thrilled to make it to CIF,” said de los Santos, who has

given a measure of stability to a program in which coaches seemed to

move through a revolving door all too often. “Hopefully, in the next

few years, there will be a huge increase [in the amount of players

coming out for tennis].”

Coming out for the Eagles this season will be seniors Stacie

Nellor, Huong Thai, Asia Ingram and Kittiya Sudhikam. Nellor finished

third in the Golden West League playing behind singles standouts

Karleen Curran and Kelly Trettin, both of whom graduated in June.

Sudhikam and Thai return as Estancia’s No. 1 doubles team.

“All my doubles teams return from last year so I think we will be

strong,” de los Santos said.

Junior Yvonne Zaidler and sophomore Heather Morton return to

complement freshman Sarah Stratton, who began playing in junior

satellite tournaments after last season.

De los Santos hopes to take on additionl players with the varsity

team as the season nears, taking on an additional three varsity

members to go with alternating the top junior varsity talent.

Estancia will field a frosh-soph team for the first time in several

years.

Also, de los Santos will stress the fundamentals and strategy with

the doubles teams.

“It’s nice to have [the doubles teams] set so they can get a

record together, to help seeding for the [Golden West League]

tournament and to get used playing with each other,” she said.

Repetition is the most important way players can improve, de los

Santos said.

“For the most part, we don’t have tournament-quality players, so

what they get out of practice and the extra tennis they get is most

important,” she said. “We are definitely going for the league title.”