Nimrat Chahal and Vincent Vega will focus on player development while serving as head coaches of Central Valley’s and Ceres High’s girls tennis programs, respectively, this fall.
“All years, it’s really about development,” said second-year Chahal, who will coach the Hawks with assistance from Mike Rodriguez and Claudia Martinez. “This year, more than the past. We’re young. As coaches, we have more patience. We’re not in a rush. We should be able to build something.”
Central Valley’s roster features 22 players, including Victoria Guajardo (Sr.), Lliria Lira (Sr.), Leslie Vargas (Sr.), Melanie Chavez (Jr.), Jasleen Kaur (Jr.), Nivea Pacheco (Jr.), Mikalynne Tapia (Jr.), Sukhman Dhaliwal (So.), Xzandria Diaz (So.), Evette Garcia (So.), Elia Hernandez (So.), Aleena Higle (So.), Aliyah Jauregui (So.), Brooke Matusich (So.), Roxana Orozco (So.), Valeria Sanchez (So.), Agam Sandhu (So.), Harkiran Sandhu (So.), Ilyana Vidal (So.), Sarinah Badillo (Fr.), Valerie Espinoza (Fr.) and Nayeli Pacheco (Fr.).
Angie Medrano, Lesly Rivas, Samantha Perez-Mendez, Kaitlyn Teng, Alondra Robles, Lliana Guzman, Marlene Jaquez, Analy Gomez and Giselle Mendez were lost to graduation.
Lira, Vargas, Tapia, Higle, Kaur, Chavez, Vidal and Sanchez are returners.
Jauregui, Espinoza, Hernandez, Orozco, Guajardo, Pacheco, Dhaliwal, Diaz, Garcia, Matusich, Badillo, Harkiran Sandhu and Agam Sandhu are newcomers.
Lira, Tapia, Higle, Kaur, Jauregui and Espinoza will contribute at singles.
Chavez, Vidal, Sanchez, Hernandez, Guajardo, Harkiran Sandhu and Agam Sandhu will log playing time at doubles.
Lira has been named team captain.
“Most of the girls are new,” Chahal said. “It will be a learning process. We’ll take our bumps and bruises this year.”
Ceres High’s roster features 15 players: Analiz Angulo (Sr.), Alyson Brumbaugh (So.), Alyssa Casillas (Sr.), Serena Chalk (Sr.), Isabella Gutierrez (Sr.), Izabella Jacquez (Sr.), Ximena Perez (Sr.), Yasmin Pinedo (Sr.), Eliana Garcia (Jr.), Gurleen Kaur (Jr.), Camila Orellana (Jr.), Yashika Kakkar (So.), Nerisha Singh (So.), Abigail Hinjosa (Fr.) and Michelle Martinez (Fr.).
Alexa Sandoval, Jelaine Esguerra, Isabella Gutierrez, Zainab Nazair, Monica Cendejas and Maria Garcia were lost to graduation.
Angulo, Chalk, Gutierrez, Jacquez, Perez, Pinedo, Garcia, Kaur, Orellana, Kakkar and Singh are returners.
Brumbaugh, Casillas, Hinjosa and Martinez are newcomers.
Kaur, Pinedo, Gutierrez, Orellana, Angulo and Jacquez will contribute at singles.
Singh, Brumbaugh, Martinez, Casillas, Chalk and Garcia will log playing time at doubles.
“Players are representing CHS and themselves, therefore they always must display sportsmanship,” Vega said.
Kaur and Pinedo have been named team captains.
Central Valley’s conference schedule will consist of matches against Patterson, Livingston, Atwater, Buhach Colony, Merced, Golden Valley and El Capitan.
“There’s definitely a difference in the level of competition,” Chahal said when comparing the Central California Conference to other leagues in the area. “There’s no bottom in the CCC. I like the competition. It’s harder to win.”
The Hawks compiled a 5-9 record en route to a fifth-place finish in the CCC standings ahead of El Capitan (4-10), Golden Valley (4-10) and Livingston (0-14) last year.
Merced (13-1), Patterson (12-2), Atwater (11-3) and Buhach Colony (7-7) placed first, second, third and fourth, respectively.
“We’ll be able to compete,” Chahal said. “I think we can finish in the middle of the pack.”
The Hawks qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs in 2018, 2017, 2015 and 2014.
“We should be competing for a playoff spot next season and the following year if everyone comes back and stays healthy,” Chahal said.
Ceres High will compete against Beyer, Grace Davis, Johansen, Lathrop, Mountain House, Los Banos and Pacheco during Western Athletic Conference play.
The Bulldogs tied for last place with a 1-13 record in the 2022 WAC standings with Grace Davis last fall.
Ceres High secured back-to-back playoff berths in 2018 and 2019.
“A good season is having a functional team, where all players put their 100 percent and sparks the interest in future tennis players,” Vega said.
Central Valley will play Ceres High twice next season when it relocates to the WAC as part of the section’s realignment plan.
Chahal believes the Hawks will return to their winning ways.
“Our first few years in the CCC, we were competitive,” Chahal said. “Going into the WAC is going to help. It’s going to build morale amongst players.”
