With a New Coach, Boys Tennis Has Great Potential
With a new head coach and numerous talented freshmen players on the team, Las Lomas’ boys varsity tennis team has more spirit and hope in making their way to NCS than ever.
“This year, I want to go to NCS, because we haven’t in a while, and we got a new coach,” said senior captain Grant Havrilenko. “I’m excited to see how that goes and see how he carries the team.”
Vitaly Gorin is an experienced tennis instructor who has taught and instructed the sport for more than two decades. “I’ve been playing tennis all my life, but I would say I’ve been coaching professionally since 1995. So 21 years,” said Gorin.
Even though it may seem that tennis is more of an individual sport, the team is a huge part of the game; having supportive teammates with positive attitudes is crucial to winning matches. “Everyone knows each other very well, so there’s that strong bond of friendship. No one is going to get mad if someone loses a couple times,” said senior Nader Mostowfi. “The captains this year have a lot of experience and they are great people too. They make sure everybody’s included in the practices.”
Junior Stephen Wong, another player on the team, has similar feelings about his teammates. “I think the team is a lot closer than last year. I think the team has a lot of ambition and a drive to improve overall,” said Wong.
Freshman Andre Grenville has played tennis for six years and is one of the few freshmen who made onto the varsity team this year. Grenville is overjoyed to be part of the close team.
“I love them. I mean, they are awesome! They’re so supportive and it’s just fun to be around them,” said Grenville. “If you lose, it’s fine! They’ll still just cheer you up, and you just get back on your feet and then you’re ready to go again! It’s just always a fun and supportive with them.”
With their encouraging dynamics and skillful potential, Las Lomas’ boys varsity tennis team seems to be in good shape for a successful season.
“We have some good young talents coming in, that will actually be good in the future...It’s a young team, but it’s got good potential,” said Coach Gorin.
