Mesa’s women’s tennis season concluded April 10 with a match against Imperial Valley. As of press time, their record was 1- 11, but the result from the last competition were not available. Coach Patty Peisner said the team’s record does not reflect all the obstacles the team overcame to play.
“This was rebuilding year for us at Mesa. There were no returning players,” said Peisner. “The irony is that it is also very difficult because the players we do have have a lot of other responsibilities.”
Of the six women on the team, only one does not work, and most have strict class schedules.
“What we have on our team is basically a lot of ladies who are very academically-oriented, very career-oriented and have managed to squeeze tennis into their schedules,” said Peisner.
Some players, including No. 2 singles player Jessica LaScola, are new to the game. LaScola is going to Long Beach State next year on a volleyball scholarship. She only decided to pick up a racket after watching professional tennis on TV and thinking that she could easily learn to play.
“It took me awhile to figure out the game, but after that it just came naturally for me,” said LaScola, admitting that it was harder to learn than it looked.
According to LaScola, the most harrowing thing about the season was having to struggle to find enough girls who wanted to play.
“We started off with me being the only one eligible so it was kind of frustrating. Now we finally have a set of six people but it took almost a whole season. That was probably the most challenging thing,” said LaScola. “Of all the people who go to Mesa, you would think that [more girls] would want to play tennis.”
No. 1 singles player Allison Wright is at Mesa trying to finish up the coursework for her nursing degree. She is also No. 1 doubles player with partner Jessica Saelim.
“My anatomy and nursing stuff comes before tennis just because for my career I need to know that stuff,” said Wright.
Consequently, Wright had to miss the match on April 8 against Grossmont to take an anatomy test. She said it makes her sad to miss games, but she still tries to be supportive by at least watching the men’s tennis match.
Despite the lack of wins, team morale has not suffered.
“We are a tight-knit group. We all get along very well. We are very supportive of each other, so even when we lose, we are still happy,” said Wright. “Everybody just loves the game so it’s not really about winning or losing.”