Submitted by Coach Lolita Bowman
Fillmore High school girls tennis has completed two more tough matches against Hueneme High school and Malibu High school. Fillmore 3, Hueneme 15 and Fillmore 1, Malibu 17 were the final scores. Scoring points for Fillmore against Hueneme were players Emilia Magdaleno, Melissa Higuera, and Heilynn Burr. Melissa scored the only point in the match against Malibu. Melissa’s match was difficult, but she prevailed winning a tiebreaker. The match against Hueneme on September 24, officially started the league’s season. Hueneme, Malibu, Carpinteria, Nordoff, and Santa Paula High schools are in Fillmore’s Citrus Coast League. Further, even though Hueneme’s tennis team won the match against us, Fillmore toughed it out and played the best of their abilities. I tell the girls that even though they may lose to a better opponent, the skills of their game will only improve over time. Hard and fast serves can be returned with a hard and fast returns with little or no effort. With the exception of one player, all of the girls have been playing tennis for a mere three to six months. The losses are tough playing against girls who have been playing tennis for many years. Even so, the Fillmore girls are competitive and ready to play! I think they are doing great! At the Malibu match, first season player player Kira Martinez commented, “I was happy with the amount of returns that I made coach.” Then she said, “How can I continue to improve?” I told her to keep on the same track. Kira is a strong hitting player. If she sticks to the game of tennis, I figure she will be “aceing” her opponents in the future like no one’s business. Keep up the good work Kira! Jimena Cortes, playing singles for Fillmore against Malibu, was pleased with her final score was 6-3 when she learned that her opponent had been playing for several years. Jimena is a good player. With consistent training and time on the courts, I believe she will be one of the top players for Fillmore High school.