After placing first and second in the singles division of the West Sierra League Tournament, the girls’ tennis team hosted the Sierra Division Valley championship. The eagles were seated #1 in the CIF play-off bracket. Yet in the championship match, Templeton defeated FC 6-3 on Nov. 12 at Copper River, winning 3 of 4 tiebreakers.

“My girls gave 110% throughout the whole match,” coach George Freeman said. “I am disappointed that we did not win Valley, but I am not disappointed in the effort that was put in from my girls.”

The girls played six singles and three doubles in just over four hours, keeping Templeton from victory as long as they could.

“We practiced day after day and worked hard to compete for the Valley,” Katie Jacobsen, ’05, said. “After we beat Coast, I began getting nervous about playing Templeton. When we lost to Templeton I was disappointed, but I know we did our best.”

“Coast was a good challenge for us,” Freeman said. “We got by Coast, but Templeton was even harder. It required everything we had in order to bring the Valley trophy once again home to the trophy case at Fresno Christian.”

On Nov. 5 the girls played against Coast Union beating them 8-1, while the Eagles’ archrival Immanuel lost to Templeton.

With winning as their goal, the team practice day after day, and struggled to keep their minds on the game.

“Practice got more intense after the Coast win,” Hillary Kell, ’05, said, “but the team was willing to devote more time for the big match. We just didn’t want to have any regrets when it was all over.”

Many players agreed that having a well-planned out strategy would lead them to a victory.

“Placement over power and good hard consistent hitting was our strategy,” Freeman said. “It was good for us to remain mentally tough and try not to hit the ball hard, but put the ball in places where the opponents find it hard to return.”

The seniors on the team were particularly anxious about the outcome of the playoff games.

“I’m excited to be a part of this winning team,” Jaryn Warren, ’03, said, “but I’m a little sad that my high school tennis career is over. I wanted to make coach Freeman proud and win Valley. Even though we lost Valley I still want the underclassmen of the team to have hope for next year.”

In the past five years, FC and Templeton have battled for the Valley title at the end of each season. Templeton has been the defending champion for the past three years, while FC won the preceding two.

Students interested in playing tennis in the future should contact George Freeman at 299-1695, ext. 122.