After a solid 2021 season, the Los Gatos High girls tennis team has upped its game this year with the goal to win a league championship.
The Wildcats are in contention to capture at least a share of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division title a year after going 8-6 in division play. Los Gatos entered the week 7-1 in the El Camino and trails only Lynbrook, which it lost to 4-3 in the teams’ first matchup.
Los Gatos hosts Lynbrook in the rematch on Oct. 25. Senior captain Alex Varivoda is confident the result will be different the second time around.
“We lost to Lynbrook the first time, but we didn’t have our full team,” said Varivoda, who usually plays No. 2 doubles with Nitya Jhamb. “I was out and another starter was out. When we play them again, I think we can do it and win.”
The Wildcats have been buoyed by an influx of talent this year, starting at the No. 1 singles position with freshman sensation Kayla Mitchell.
“We definitely had more players come out,” Varivoda said. “Last year was our first season after Covid so we had a lot of people who left and didn’t play. But this year we definitely have a stronger team and that’s shown in our matches.”
With the exception of Lynbrook, the Wildcats have been smashing teams in the El Camino, which isn’t a surprise given the program’s tennis tradition. Coach Pablo Cueto said Mitchell is a five-star player and the highest-ranked incoming freshman in the Bay Area.
If Mitchell decides to play in the Central Coast Section individual tournament, she has the potential to make a deep run if not win it.
“Kayla is great and an amazing player,” Varivoda said. “She’s super consistent and hits really powerful shots. It’s been really good to have our No. 1 singles who always plays well and is consistent. She doesn’t have bad days.”
Yasmina Ikkawi is the team’s No. 2 singles player and another tour de force besides Mitchell. Ikkawi possesses heavy, topspin-laden groundstrokes off both wings to go along with a powerful serve. Rosa Sahandi and Valeriya Marinicheva have also excelled and round out the singles lineup.
Some of the top doubles players include Maya and Zoe Swanson, the aforementioned Varivoda and Jhamb, Yilin Fang, Anya Chauhan, and Kaley Do. However, the team’s lineup is constantly in flux because Cueto likes to give players on the back end of the lineup an opportunity to compete.
Additionally, Zoe Swanson has played in several matches at singles, including the No. 4 spot against Milpitas on Oct. 11. Varivoda said the team gained confidence after beating Gunn—which plays in the upper De Anza Division—earlier in the season.
“We were a little scared going into it because we knew they were a strong team, but we ended up winning,” she said. “Everyone played really well and it was a really great match for everyone in terms of the quality in which we played. So that was definitely a morale boost.”
Even though tennis is an individual sport, at the high school level it can still be team-oriented. As the team captain, Varivoda is responsible for a variety of things, including organizing team-bonding activities which have helped in the players getting to know each other a little better.
“It feels like we’re a family and we’re all really close,” she said. “Regardless of our position on the team, we definitely feel that bond. It doesn’t feel like we’re separated by our ranks.”
Varivoda is also one of the few players who can drive and is responsible for getting the players to the proper location when they have away games. So, some of her teammates gave her a ribbing after Varivoda took the wrong exit going to Milpitas High.
“I took the wrong exit so it was a little stressful,” she said. “I’m the team driver but I will admit I’m not the best at directions.”
Varivoda played No. 1 and 2 singles last year, but is enjoying her experience competing in doubles this season. Of course, she’s had to make some major adjustments after playing singles in her first three years of prep competition.
“Playing doubles has been new for me and it’s been out of my comfort zone because I’m not used to playing with someone,” she said. “I always liked having all the responsibility by myself in singles, but doubles has been nice and I’ve learned to be at the net a lot more and hit volleys. This year is (also) a bit different because I had a hand injury that I’m still recovering from, so I’ve had to kind of adjust to that. But it’s been fun playing with a new technique and a partner in Nitya.”
Varivoda said the team has some big goals for the rest of the season.
“We obviously want to win league and CCS, and consequently we want to get back up to the upper division next year,” she said.
Sports editor Emanuel Lee can be reached at el**@we*****.com
