On Oct. 29, girls’ varsity tennis suffered a hard-fought 4-3 loss in their first Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) playoff game against Branson, bringing an end to the team’s league season.
Sophomore Alessia Balliet closed out the day in the final singles match, facing immense pressure as the Giants hopes for advancing rested upon her performance. Balliet kept her composure after a first-set loss, but her comeback efforts ultimately fell short, losing 2-6 and 1-6. Even in defeat, her effort embodied the team’s enthusiasm throughout the season.
Assistant Coach Jeff Heely praised the team’s mindset, emphasizing that their determination never wavered despite the loss.
“The whole team came out here with high curiosity; they wanted to learn more,” Heely said. “It’s one thing to get better – but when you want to learn more, your game expands. Everybody played better than they did at the beginning of the season and that makes me really proud of them.”
The team’s resilience was reflected in standout performances from senior captain Sienna Rouas. Rouas, battling through a pulled muscle, delivered a dominant singles performance, winning her matches with a 6-1, 6-0 victory.
“I think [what went well] with my play was consistency and making sure that I wasn’t trying to hit wild shots when it wasn’t necessary,” Rouas said. “I was staying very calm, hitting easy shots but with good placement and playing smart.”
For the doubles teams, sophomore Scarlett Hackwell and junior Julia Povio showcased str
ong chemistry and control, securing two wins (6-2, 6-2).
Hackwell, competing in her first MCAL playoff match, used a different approach from Rouas to find success.
“I think that I had good strategy, I was mapping out where I was gonna hit the ball, and then I’d go all in and be really aggressive with it,” Hackwell said.
Although the Giants didn’t achieve the result that they desired, their attitudes and support for one another stayed consistently positive, something Coach Heely appreciated in their difficult loss.
“If you took a picture of all of our doubles teams or individuals walking off the court, you wouldn’t know if they’d won or lost,” Heely said. “They came out, did their job, and in some cases that wasn’t enough to win the match and in other cases it was, but they gave it their all.”
