As the sun sets in Claremont, the coyotes creep out. The animals stay in the shadows, but from the brightly lit tennis courts the howling laughter of the Claremont Coyotes 5C Tennis Club can be heard amidst the rattle of bouncing tennis balls and swinging rackets.
The team was founded with the intent of prioritizing fun and inclusivity, serving as a way for students of all abilities to come enjoy tennis with a more flexible schedule. While more experienced players like Iman Morlot SC ’27 have been competing since as young as five-years-old, the team is also open to new players looking to try something new.
The club hosts clinics on Thursdays that teach basic tennis strokes, allowing athletes of all levels to work their way onto the competition teams. This spring, they’re preparing for their biggest tournament of the season which they will compete in next weekend.
Kai Wong PZ ’27 started tennis his freshman year of high school and, similar to Morlot, is no rookie. Despite years of experience with the sport, Wong said club tennis has still been a new and exciting experience.
“It kind of takes the pressure off a little bit in terms of having to go to practice every day and it becomes more of a social thing,” Wong said. “You can go out there and have more fun.”
According to Wong, meeting new people, especially upperclassmen, has been invaluable. He described how being on a team in his first year has helped him navigate the stress of college by being able to take advice from upperclassmen and have a supportive community that would normally take months to build.
“I’ve met a lot of people from different colleges that I don’t think I would have met otherwise,” Wong said.
Despite the fun and relaxed atmosphere, the Coyotes still work hard to improve their skills for the spring season of competition. Morlot explained the benefit of having a diversity of skill levels on the team. She said it helps beginners improve faster.
“We try to mix the levels as much as we can, because the only way you get better is by playing people that are better than you,” Morlot said. “You always need a challenge, so it’s good that we’re giving some beginners those challenges.”
For more advanced players, upcoming competitive tournaments serve as a chance to improve their skills against opponents from schools with stronger club programs such as UCLA, UCSD and Cal Poly Pomona. With Sectionals right around the corner, players are gearing up for intense competition. Wong said he is apprehensive going into matches against these tougher teams, but made clear he has faith in the Coyotes.
“You can see how much effort and how much competitiveness they put on the [teams from bigger schools], so it’s a little more pressure,” Morlot said. “This year seems pretty promising, though. We have some strong players, a lot of new players that are in it to win it.”
Though nerves are kicking in, the freshmen are looking forward to the new and exciting Sectionals tournament. Southern California’s Tennis on Campus Sectionals tournament is an annual competition for SoCal’s bids to the National Club Tennis Championship. The tournament spans two days and will be hosted this year in Claremont.
“I’ve heard [sectionals] is really fun,” Wong said. “We play against a lot of different schools in the SoCal area and I think the overall vibe is like, we’re very excited. But I’m also a little nervous.”
Team captain Tomas Carrillo PZ ’24 explained he has high hopes for the team this year at Sectionals, noting they have a more balanced roster than previous years, where the limited number of women forced the members to play more games than they will be asked to this year.
“We actually have a full roster of both girls and guys,” Carrillo said. “Usually, we have two to three women per A and B team and they have to play an insane amount of matches.”
The club team is split into A, B and C teams based on experience. While in the past it was rare for any of these teams to make waves at Sectionals, according to Carrillo, this season may tell a different story.
“We’re hoping that at least one of them will be able to make it through Sectionals and win that pool and then move on,” Carrillo said. “People are playing really well. Especially since it’s in Claremont, I feel like we have a home-court advantage.”
As the Coyotes approach Sectionals, the most important tournament of the season, pressure is on. However, according to Morlot, the Coyotes have done everything they can to prepare.
“It’s gonna be competitive but it’s gonna be fun,” Morlot said. “We’re just gonna do our best. My main goal is to have fun and just keep playing and doing what I love.”
The Coyotes will compete in the Sectionals tournament on Feb. 17 and 18 at the Claremont Tennis Club.
Facebook Comments