Granite Hills sends 4 as Orange Belt gears up for Valley
Practice makes perfect.
This is the motto that many coaches believe in – and keep in mind Granite Hills High School girls tennis coach Randy Smee believes in this — but it’s a bit more like ‘relaxed practice makes perfect’ when it comes to this year’s group of tennis players.
“This group is older, they have a couple of years of playing and experience down already,” Smee said. “I believe that going moderate [during practices] is the key for them. They play better when we have a relaxed practice.”
And relaxed hour-long practices seem to be doing the trick this year.
“They tend to lose energy from having too hard of a practice when it comes to games,” Smee said.
Last year junior Sarah Herrera was left to fly solo as she tried to play for a Valley title, but fell short.
But this year, Granite Hills will send four (out of a maximum of six) players to Valley: Sarah Herrera, Caitlin Jetter, Bailey Ward and Mai Lor. Herrera and Jetter will play singles. Ward and Lor will team up to play doubles.
“Winning is a pretty big goal of mine,” said Lor. “And Porterville High is going to be some tough competition I think.”
Nevertheless, competing girls will be given a run for their rackets when it comes to singles.
Herrera has been the team’s No. 2 in singles for a majority of the season but she finally emerged and began showing her true skills.
“Sarah played better when she played others from different schools,” Smee said. “She rose to the top; she ended up doing better on paper than Caitlin in the end. From a coaching perspective that’s why I switched her and Caitlin around for Valley and the girls both agreed on it in the end, which was really important, too.”
The four girls that will be heading to Valley this year have one factor in their tennis careers that many would argue is a major problem — they have not had a single private lesson in their lives.
In Fresno, each lesson can cost $70-$80 and in Visalia, each lesson can cost $35-50, depending on the exact location of the club. And depending on how many times a player goes per week or month will have a great impact on the total price.
“Private lessons can be really helpful, especially if you get a good coach,” Lor said. “They can help you improve on formations and ground strokes, which can help you win matches overall.”
The price and transportation are definitely issues for all four girls. For example, Herrera is a twin and the youngest out of seven children, Jetter has an older brother at a four-year university and Ward also has a sister at a four-year university.
Clearly, private lessons in Fresno are out of the question.
But one thing the girls do not lack is determination and work ethic on and off the court.
Ward, Herrera and Jetter each have three Advanced Placement classes such as calculus, English, civics and economics. They are also involved in clubs such as California Scholastic Federation, Zonta Club and Wilderness Club. Junior Lor, on the other hand, is working on her way to becoming a pastry chef.
It’s safe to say these girls are taking on a plateful.
To add to the daily chaos, the girls are all working on their applications to various California State private and public universities.
“I have found players that usually challenge themselves outside of tennis to be the girls that are the most superior,” Smee said. “These girls do exceptionally well in school. I could not be more proud of all of them.”
Jetter and Herrera will both be traveling to Redwood High in Visalia where they will have their first matches at 9 a.m. Herrera will play Niki Zieback from Exeter High and Jetter will play Mara Curry from Fresno High.
“I’m excited for Valley this year since it’s going to be my last time out there,” Ward said. “I know we all have to play hard and I plan on doing just that along with having a good attitude all the way.”
Valley Tennis Matchups
Five of the six Orange Belt schools will be represented at today’s Valley Individual Tournament in Visalia
Singles
Sarah Herrera (Granite Hills)
vs. Niki Zeibak (Exeter) - 9 a.m.
- Winner plays No. 12 Katlyn Wood (Buchanan) in 2nd round
Caitlin Jetter (Granite Hills)
vs. Mara Curry (Fresno) - 9 a.m.
- Winner plays No. 5 Denisa Hromadkova (Frontier) in 2nd round
Andi Remling (Exeter)
vs. Hailey Melhberg (Wasco) - 9 a.m.
- Winner plays No. 13 Jasmine Zaragoza (Sunnyside) in 2nd round
No. 15 Jasmine Martinez (Monache)
vs. Wendy O’Brien (El Diamante) - 11 a.m.
Doubles
Mai Lor/Bailey Ward (Granite Hills)
vs. No. 16 Chowdhury/Kim (Sunnyside) - 9 a.m.
Cecilia Moreno/Brianna Rodriguez (Strathmore)
vs. McCall/Avina (Yosemite) - 9 a.m.
Shiloah Gibson/Alisia Scudder (Porterville)
vs. Plunkett/Plunkett (University) - 11 a.m.
Angie Ballin/Emily Clifton (Strathmore)
vs. Carreras/Valdez (Firebaugh) - 11 a.m.
Singles at In-Shape City (Visalia)
Doubles at Redwood High School
