Central Valley’s girls tennis team enjoyed its best season to date last year.
The Hawks set a program record for wins, claimed their first-ever conference title and secured their first playoff victory.
Central Valley could achieve greater success this fall.
“This team could be one of the best we’ve had in program history if we have everyone out there all year and everybody stays healthy,” said Nimrat Chahal, Hawks’ leader/2024 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
Chahal will carry a total of 32 players on his roster this season, including Selena Cubillo (Sr.), Jameelah Martin Del Campo (Sr.), Aleena Higle (Sr.), Aaliyah Jauregui (Sr.), Valeria Sanchez Luna (Sr.), Roxana Orozco (Sr.), Jaqueline Padilla (Sr.), Harkiran Sandhu (Sr.), Illyana Vidal (Sr.), Elizabeth Alvarez (Jr.), Natalia Campos (Jr.), Emily Carranza (Jr.), Valerie Espinoza (Jr.), Aaralyn Jauregui (Jr.), Isabella Michelena (Jr.), Genesis Velazquez Pedraza (Jr.), Evelyn Valenzuela (Jr.), Samantha Sarabia Zavala (Jr.), Neetika Badhoria (So.), Yahiza Bustos (So.), Aiva Caballero (So.), Vianney Gutierrez (So.), Ashmeet Kaur (So.), Jashan Kaur (So.), Angie Luna (So.), Karla Robles (So.), Lauren Salvatera (So.), Abigail Stump (So.), Savannah Zuniga (So.), Serath Birring (Fr.), Constanza Jaime Dominguez (Fr.) and Victoria Jaime Dominguez (Fr.).
“Most of the girls that play have a good experience with it,” Chahal said. “They keep coming back. They also tell their friends (to join the team).”
The Hawks have 20 returners in Selena Cubillo, Aleena Higle, Aaliyah Jauregui, Valeria Sanchez Luna, Roxana Orozco, Harkiran Sandhu, Illyana Vidal, Natalia Campos, Emily Carranza, Valerie Espinoza, Aaralyn Jauregui, Isabella Michelena, Genesis Velazquez Pedraza, Samantha Sarabia Zavala, Neetika Badhoria, Yahiza Bustos, Ashmeet Kaur, Karla Robles, Lauren Salvatera and Abigail Stump
Newcomers Jameelah Martin Del Campo, Jaqueline Padilla, Elizabeth Alvarez, Evelyn Valenzuela, Aiva Caballero, Vianney Gutierrez, Jashan Kaur, Angie Luna, Savannah Zuniga, Serath Birring, Constanza Jaime Dominguez and Victoria Jaime Dominguez round out Central Valley’s roster.
The Hawks lost six players to graduation, including starters Mikalynne Tapia, Jasleen Kaur, Lizeth Cazarez Perez and Melanie Chavez.
“We’re very senior-heavy this year,” Chahal. “We bring back experience. We have a deep roster. It’s nice to know we’re going to be competitive this season. Once we get through the first half of league, I’ll have a better idea how we’re going to do.”
Chahal has two assistant coaches, including Mike Rodriguez and Grant McCormick.
Central Valley had a combined record of 72-65, enjoyed five winning seasons and secured four playoff berths under guidance Rodriguez’s from 2010-22.
“We’re blessed to have three coaches out here,” Chahal said. “We trust each other to do what’s best for the girls.”
Central Valley’s revamped starting lineup features Aleena Higle, Harkiran Sandhu, Aaliyah Jauregui, Valerie Espinoza Serath Birring, Roxana Orozco, Valeria Sanchez Luna, Genesis Velazquez Pedraza, Illyana Vidal, Selena Cubillo, Natalie Campos and Emily Carranza.
Samantha Sarabia Zavala will also contribute.
Higle, Sandhu, Jauregui, Espinoza, Birring and Orozco will log playing time at No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 singles, respectively.
Sanchez Luna and Velazquez Pedraza will make up Central Valley’s No. 1 doubles team.
Vidal and Cubillo will team up at No. 2 doubles.
Campos and Carranza will partner at No. 3 doubles.
Higle, Jauregui, Sandhu, Espinoza, Sanchez Luna, Vidal, Orozco and Velazquez Pedraza all started last year.
Higle earned first-team all-WAC honors junior year.
She compiled an 8-6 record as Central Valley’s No. 1 singles player.
She won one of two matches on her way to advancing to the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament.
Aaliyah Jauregui was named to the WAC Second Team.
She posted a perfect 9-0 record in No. 3 singles play as a junior.
Higle, a fourth-year player, has developed into a team leader.
“Everybody follows her,” Chahal said.
Central Valley amassed a near-perfect 14-1 overall record in 2024.
The Hawks won all 12 of their matches while returning to the WAC.
Central Valley previously competed in the Central California Conference prior to moving to the WAC as part of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s league realignment plan for the 2024-25 school year.
The Hawks swept Grace Davis (8-1, 7-2), Pacheco (8-1, 7-2), Beyer (6-3, 6-3), Livingston (7-2, 5-4), Johansen (7-2, 9-0) and Lathrop (9-0, 9-0) in league play.
Central Valley also qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2018, ending a six-year drought. The ninth-seeded Hawks secured their first-ever postseason victory, upsetting eighth-seeded Chavez 6-3 in the Division-II bracket in Stockton.
Central Valley will try to repeat as WAC champions and return to the playoffs for the second consecutive year this season.
“I don’t think there will be any added pressure,” Chahal said. “We haven’t had any conversations about winning league championships. They all know that’s the ultimate goal. It’s not going to be easy. We just have to play our best every match. We have to focus on what’s in front of us.”
