Today, the Dons played the second of four interleague matches.  Our opponent was College Park who is in a rebuilding year.  This allowed me to rotate some of our lower ranked varsity players into the lineup.  #1 Sze Ting Chen and #3 Peyton Eagens were rested and #6 Saaj Shah is nursing an injured knee.  Therefore, Chase Belhumeur, Billy O’Brien…

The changes to the DAL Foothill Division have been a little confusing so before I break down the Benicia match, let me shed some light on how the league works this year.  For 2025, only four teams are competing in the Foothill Division: Acalanes, Campolindo, Miramonte and Northgate.  Therefore, the team’s “league” win-loss record will consist of six matches –…

Last year, Northgate lost ten seniors suffering a huge hole in their starting lineup.  Nevertheless, the Dons tennis squad did not take Northgate lightly today, and it was a good thing.  Though we won 7-2, several of the matches were very close and it took some steel nerves and excellent shot making to win three of the four matches decided…

Though it rained in the morning, the sun and wind in the afternoon helped dry the courts so Acalanes could host Miramonte.  Twice this week, the Dons took it on the chin with a 4-5 loss, this time to the Matadors.  This loss was hard to swallow because two key athletes ended up ineligible to play, so we had to…

Today Acalanes kicked off DAL league play, and we jumped right into the deep end taking on the Cougars at Campolindo.  We were fully staffed, prepared, pumped and ready to play.  The question of just how good 2024 league champion Campo is this year was answered.  In this match today, they were the better team.  We offer no excuses, but…

Being down our #3 singles player on the trip, Shah, due to a rolled ankle, ended up being a key reason why we struggled on day two.  We knew it was going to be tough, so the plan was to field the best team we could and rotate our lower varsity players into the matches.  This tennis tournament experience is…

The California Tennis Classic is held every year in Fresno.  Due to rain, it has been canceled two out of the last three years.  This year, 72 teams from across California entered the tournament.  Because Acalanes is missing its #1, #3 and #5 players, we are playing in the division two bracket of the tournament.  After day one, it feels…

After two very tough back-to-back matches against Branson and Head Royce, the team took on Heritage today.  Though the Patriots don’t possess the same kind of firepower, they are a formidable team who just lost 4-5 to Northgate.  Acalanes had to stay focused to pull out the win, as we were a little short staffed due to players dealing with…

For those who have been following the tennis team closely, you will have noticed that our first four pre-season matches this year have been progressively against better teams culminating with the Branson match today.  I have a lot of respect for the Branson players and coaching staff.  Three years ago, when Acalanes made it to the second round of the…

The Don’s win today completed a three-match sweep this week and got our season off to a great start.   Head Royce is a solid division 2 contender, and we knew this match would not only be tough but would also be a good indicator of just how strong our team is this year.  Though we would typically play a fellow…