VYPE San Marcos CISD October 2022

tennis

\\ By J o s h u a Ko c h R A T T L E R T E N N I S R E A D Y T O E X C E L I N F A L L , S P R I N G S E A S O N S SERVE IT UP

“On the cour t they are both grinders — getting back ball after ball to force opponents’ errors,” he said. Fellow seniors Aaron Espinoza – who has an “explosive forehand” – and Jessica Lemus are others to take note off. Lemus is coming off a torn labrum and brings “doubles depth” to the squad. With 12 seniors graduating off of last year ’s squad, that has opened the door for the youngsters to step up. Freshman Chloe Ameyaw and sophomore Rowan Jeffers, Alex Quintero and Haley Aguilar are ones to remember. They may be a little young, but watch for the senior leadership to guide this Rattlers tennis squad this year.

MICHAEL MARTINEZ KNOWS WHAT IT TAKES TO REACH THE NEXT LEVEL ON THE HARDTOP. The eighth-year tennis coach at San Marcos High School not only works with the high school team but also down with both middle schools as well. Mar tinez star ted playing tennis in the eighth grade when he was growing up and went on to play three years at St . Mary ’s University. He has been coaching for 14 years. The Rattlers were 3-2 in non-district to star t the year in team tennis. They fell in their first two district contests of the year but Mar tinez saw some positives to carry through the rest of the fall. “In our first district match we lost 3-10 but a highlight was our No. 1 boy and girl both winning their singles match against the Clemens Buffalos, which hasn’ t happened in the last four years,” Mar tinez said. “Expectation is to break a four-year playoff drought . East Central and Judson are our tickets to a playoff match.” So, who gets them there? Captains Nikolas Hall and Lauren Lopez will be the cornerstones of the squad for the 2022-23 season. They “bring leadership to our team”, Mar tinez said and bring it on the cour t .

Aaron Espinoza

Nikolas Hall, Lauren Lopez, Aaron Espinoza and Jessica Lemus