A note from tennis coach Bowman.

On September 3rd Fillmore traveled to compete at Santa Clara High School. Final score Fillmore 8, Santa Clara 10. Are the girls disappointed? I should think not. I am not. This was a close and long match. I was biting my fingernails as it almost came to a tie. When a “tie” occurs, the games are counted to determine the winner. Moving on, doubles team Melissa Higuera and Maritza Campos played one tiebreaker set and scored two points total for Fillmore, and number one singles player Emilia Magdaleno was hot yesterday, scoring three points out of three possible points! Go Emilia! Heillyn Burr playing the number two singles player scored one point for Fillmore, along with doubles team Rosalyn Diaz and Sofia Cardenas. Doubles team Ashlin Rodriguez and Jimena Cortes won one point for the team. The Fillmore High School girls tennis team is excited that the season is in full swing. Once again I, along with the team am pleased when some of the parents have time to attend the matches. Thank you to the parents of Emila, Maritza, Melissa, Jennifer, Ashlin, Kira, and Heillyn for being able to attend. I know the girls were excited to see you there. The match was held at the Oxnard Tennis Center which is located near the Performing Arts Center. The weather was hot and humid calling for more hydration than usual. I was called to go the court on one occasion to assist, only to discover that a tennis ball had gone over the fence; no disagreement in other words. Coaches can be called to the court to solve disputes or to sometimes help with the tiebreaker scoring as it can be complicated. Fortunately there were no squabbles on the court playing the match against Santa Clara, or maybe the girls are learning to settle disputes on their own. I am always pleased when the coach on the other team compliments the Fillmore players. Assistance coach Dimitiri commented that our number three singles player Eveleen Lizarraga “was returning the tennis balls like a backboard.” This means that Eveleen was hitting everything back! Good job Eveleen! I can believe it as the girls have been working hard on the court getting fit and practicing serves. Lastly Emilia and Maritza hold the record for “thirty three serves in” in a row. The record of forty eight is held by Maria Gonzales from last years team. As soon as all of the girls hit ten serves in a row, they are rewarded with a pizza party compliments of the coach!

***

It was Fillmore versus Villanova Prep in Ojai California on 9-5-2019. It was a very hot day. The tennis team drained the five gallon Gatorade water and ice container. I encourage the team to drink plenty of liquids especially to prevent injuries and of course heat related illnesses. The starting line-up for the day was the following: Singles-Emilia Magdaleno, Eveleen Lizarraga, Maritza Campos Doubles-Melissa Higuera/Jimena Cortes, Heillyn Burr/Ashlin Rodriguez, and Sofia Cardenas/Rosalyn Diaz. Our secret weapons were Samantha Pacheco, Erika Anguiano, Paola Ruiz, Kira Martinez, Anneliese Asfour, and Jennifer Carrillo. The entire team participated in the match except for one player who had sustained an injury from the prior match against Santa Clara High School. The final score was Fillmore 8, Villanova 10. Doubles teams Melissa/Jimena/and sub Jennifer, and team Heillyn and Ashlin were the top scorers for the day. Singles players Emilia, Eveleen, and Maritza also scored points for the team Flashes. Go Flashes! As usual I was so proud to watch the Fillmore girls participate in this event as this team is quite competitive. These pre-season matches are getting the girls ready for the league matches which begin on September fourth against Hueneme High School. A special thank you to mothers Monica Campos and Claudia Higuera for bringing snacks for the girls that day! The girls appreciated it.