By Nick Michael
Assoc. News Editor
Freshman Shannon Huang has shown incredible talent ever since she first picked up a tennis racket,. It took her only three years of playing to develop into a varsity-level athlete, and this past season, she played an integral role in the squad, performing well in both singles and doubles matches.
Huang’s first taste of competitive tennis came when she played for the middle school team. By the time she had reached high school, her hard work had enabled her to make the varsity team. Huang attributes much of her success to the people she plays with.
“My favorite part of playing tennis is making friends with my teammates,” Huang said. “They have always been really supportive and encouraging.”
While Huang is grateful of her teammates, they certainly appreciate her as well. Known for her consistency and her powerful serve, Huang’s performance last season was one of the best on the team.
“Shannon has improved greatly throughout the season,” teammate junior Nour Mallat said, “as she has become flexible in playing both singles and doubles.”
This past season, the varsity team achieved a 4-4 league record and qualified for the CIF playoffs for the second straight year. Although these are both impressive accomplishments, Huang is confident that the team can be even better next year.
“Our main goal for next season is to advance further into CIF, since we lost our first playoff game this year,” Huang said. “We also want to make sure we beat La Cañada.”
Out of all of the things Huang has achieved, the best may be yet to come. Since she is just a freshman, she has three more years to improve and perfect her game. And since three years was the time it took for her to become a varsity athlete, her future
looks promising.