The Rio Hondo Women’s Tennis team secured their first win of the season against El Camino College by a score of 6-3. It was a gritty win for the Roadrunners who are trying to change their approach to the game.

The Roadrunners showed their resilience and hard work under head coach Karen Unger who has been vocal for her expectations for the team this season. She emphasized how important commitment, teamwork, and being consistent in practice is huge for them as a team.
“Obviously be committed, be a team player, practice the way you want to play. Run things down at practice first how you want to play, do not save it for the game.” said Unger. Her focus on being mentally prepared proved crucial for the team win.

The RHC team won the game by a total of 6-3, claiming five out of six singles matchups. Although they lost two of three doubles matches, the showing the team had was overall strong.

RHC team members Makayla Glover, Sophia Chavez, Lana Young, Jennifer Diaz, Kaitlyn Dominguez, Abigail Madrigal, Mayumi Lemus, and Princess Arevalo worked hard for the win.

One of the singles matches that had RHC Lana Young facing El Caminos Robyn Wong was the hardest back and forth match from all of them as both competitors went to the limit with Young coming out on top with the win.

Freshman players Glover and Chavez talked about their respective match performance at the end of the match.

“I think I played really steady and really strong and I stayed calm… to stay mentally stable is something important and to me personally being more aggressive during the game will help me.” Chavez said.

Chavez had confident words after her victory in singles action. For Glover she had promising strong words for herself.

Glover expressed “I think I played to the best of my abilities in my singles match, I did lose but I am not upset about it… It is more of a mental game and not thinking you are down but staying mentally stable all around.”

As the Roadrunners celebrate their first win, they will have to carry this game plan to their next challenge. The Roadrunners will be on the road looking for their second consecutive win against College of the Desert on Thursday, Feb 20.

With Coach Unger’s leadership and the importance of mental toughness, the RHC Roadrunners will be looking forward as to what the next game has in store for them.