Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) women’s tennis caused a racket during the annual PP-CMS invitational on Friday, Sept. 13 and Saturday, Sept. 14, defending a heroic 2024 SCIAC tournament victory against the previously No. 1 ranked Athenas, who won the Division III NCAA championship in 2023.
The tournament was a chance for the Hens to shed some rust against teams of all divisions, including Division I California State University Northridge and Division II teams Azusa Pacific University, Biola University and Westmont College.
After the first day of the competition, Marissa Markey PZ ‘25 expressed her excitement to get an early start on preparing for their spring season.
“Today was really fun, it was our first match back since last spring so everyone was looking forward to being back together,” Markey said. “This is more of a friendly tournament, so there weren’t too many result expectations, but we were all just working on a lot of different things and looking to have fun and get back into it.”
For these athletes, “getting back into it” means many things. Nyakiriri Kanefu PZ ‘27 explained how for her, the first tournament is all about individual growth and working through what she calls “the uglies.”
“The uglies are when you’re first getting back into stuff and just hitting random shots, you’re shanking it,” Kanefu said. “You’re just getting it all out, getting through those kinks.”
Upperclassmen Markey and Angie Zhou PO ‘25 saw the preseason competition as a chance to relearn some fundamental team chemistry.
“Angie and I have been playing together for a while so it was fun to finally play together after such a long break over summer,” Markey said.
Markey, who is doubles partners with Zhou, explained their playing chemistry and how it looks on the court.
“It’s not something where I’m robotic and I have to think about it,” Markey said. “It’s more just like she’s gonna do what she’s gonna do and we’ll be able to read each other and kind of flow with each other.”
Markey and Zhou fell to California State University Northridge in a close match of 4-6 but went on to dominate Westmont in a 6-0 victory on Friday.
Reflecting on P-P’s successful 2024 spring season – where they made their way to the semifinals of the NCAA championship – Amelia Poor PO ‘25 described how the team is hoping to capitalize on the momentum from the spring.
“I’m really proud of how we did last year,” she said. “So we’re hoping to do it all again this year. Do better, even.”
Preseason marks the start of many athletes’ final year with P-P, including Zhou, who explained why this last season feels extra meaningful.
“I think it’s fun with everything being our last thing,” Zhou said. “But that also makes it more special and makes me cherish every match we have.”
While also taking the time to appreciate her last season, Markey explained how being a captain means taking on a leadership role for the rest of the team.
“It’s definitely bittersweet. I’ve really enjoyed my time being on the team,” Markey said. “But it’s fun to continually watch people come into the program and now, as captains, be a part of their experience.”
The P-P women’s tennis team has a long time to wait before they begin regular competition in the spring. However, they aren’t wasting any time when it comes to building good habits, something reflected in their team mantra.
“We always say, inspire the person across the net,” Poor said. “Tennis can have a lot of pressure sometimes and you can feel pretty alone. It’s important to find the joy in it.”
Looking ahead, P-P and CMS women’s tennis will host the ITA Division III West Regional Championships from Friday, Sept. 27 to Sunday, Sept. 29.
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