Teamwork, commitment lead Paloma into CIF tennis playoffs

From left: Hannah McCoy, Brisa Perkins, Akira Maclin and Sydney Andersen are members of the successful Paloma Valley High School girls tennis team. The Wildcats open the CIF playoffs against Linfield Christian on Wednesday.

By Tommie Brown, Staff Writer

Taking on Linfield Christian High School Wednesday afternoon in their first CIF Division 4 playoff match, Paloma Valley High's girls tennis team is more than ready for the road ahead. Ranking fourth in their division, these Wildcats are a team made up of not only star athletes, but star students as well.

All nine starters on the team made All-League, and the team also has continued its All-Academic team tradition with an impressive 3.9 average cumulative GPA. 

It’s easy to say that their skills also match their brains.

Singles player Hannah McCoy, the league MVP with a 24-0 singles record, has made school history this season. 

With the signing of a letter of intent on Nov. 14 to play for Goshen College, McCoy will become the school's first girls tennis college scholarship athlete ever.

"I’ve always worked hard," said McCoy on how her senior year tennis season has gone, "but this year I worked the hardest. If I could sum up this season in one word, it would be ‘shocking,’ because you never realize how far you’re going to get until you get there."

Coach David McCoy had high praise for all the players, who have combined to post a 14-1 season record.

"This seems like the theme of this team’s season all around," David McCoy said about the team's work ethic. "I’ve worked hard over the last four years with these seniors I’ve had since freshman year. We have a great story."

In addition to Hannah McCoy's perfect singles record, the senior doubles team of Megan Dallin and Sydney Andersen rank as the number one doubles team in league. They have an amazing 27-0 record.

"We have played together for three years now," said Megan Dallin. "We learned how to communicate. We don’t hold on to our mistakes; we learn from them. And we are OK with each other’s mistakes. We don’t get upset at the other for what she did. We just move forward.”

Andersen, nicknamed “Squidward” after the Spongebob Squarepants cartoon character, agreed.

“I used to get really frustrated with mistakes when I played," Andersen said. "But now I feel like instead of being frustrated, we use that. We focus on the next points, not the past points."

But the success doesn’t end there. This team also has the league’s second-place doubles team, made up of Nicole Dallin and Brenda Olas. They have a 23-0 record. 

On top of an excellent season in tennis, Nicole Dallin is a three-sport phenomenon who just got accepted to the University of Arizona to play for their Division I soccer team.

"This is a very mature team," said David McCoy about the reason for the team’s success this season. "The girls may not all be best friends hanging out with each other in their own time, but when they show up, they have one single mindset – to win."

Even with all of their skill and success on the court, the girls have stayed focused on the higher importance of their academic career off the court. 

On giving advice to younger players, Andersen said, "Balance school and tennis. It’s hard, but it’s worth it. Don’t let your grades slip for a sport."

With a 4.4 GPA, Andersen has the work ethic to back up her own advice.

"It’s going to get difficult,” chimed in 4.2 GPA holder Hannah McCoy, "but Sydney is right."

Megan Dallin was asked what advice she would give younger players.

"If I could tell them anything, it would be don’t have drama, have team chemistry, and learn how to handle school and tennis at once," she said.

"These girls don’t mess around,” said Coach McCoy. "They have succeeded because for them, it’s all about tennis; it’s not about themselves."

Wednesday's match will begin at 2 p.m. at Paloma Valley.