The Zen Zone

When people think of the Albany High School girls tennis team, they think of quiet, smart Asian girls. Our school does not pay much attention to our tennis players or their matches. This could be because there isn’t any drama, or because the team is consistently good each year so its wins are expected.

The AHS girls tennis team has come in second to Piedmont for the past three years and has won the Bay Shore Athletic League womens singles for the past three years.

This year’s team, however, is a bit more special than last year. Albany will still have its returning BSAL champion, April Ngo, and two girls who have played varsity doubles together since freshman year. Most doubles players in high school don’t end up playing together for all four years, let alone on varsity, but seniors Jackie Hoe and Zoe Kritikos are the exception.

Hoe and Kritikos started as inexperienced freshman and have grown to learn each other’s game. When asked about playing together for the fourth year, Hoe explained, “We can now play in a match together as a team and not as two individuals. We know each other’s weaknesses and strengths which allows us to focus more on the win and not mess up on miscommunications.”

These two seniors work well together and provide the rest of the team with a Zen-like environment. Most of the team members are friends outside of tennis, so getting along with one another is no problem. There is little drama, allowing the girls on the tennis team to focus on their goals.

Some people have wondered if the team focus and lack of drama can be attributed to the fact that the majority of the team is Asian. When asked if being Asian has any effect on team dynamics, Hoe stated, “Race has nothing to do with how we all work together. If we were an all white team then our circumstances would still be the same.”

Most of the girls’ focus on “team” comes from their trainer and mentor, Coach Sue Ford. When asked about team efforts, Ford stated, “Team is very important to me. Players seem to fit this into their schedule with tests they have to take, volunteering, choir, and other endeavors.”

The team’s goal is to become the BSAL champions.