Harkiran Sandhu, Aleena Higle, Aaliyah Jauregui, Valerie Espinoza, Emily Carranza and Serath Birring represented Central Valley’s girls tennis program at the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-II Individual Singles and Doubles Championships earlier this month in Roseville.
Sandhu and Higle competed at the Singles Tournament on Nov. 6 at Johnson Ranch.
Jauregui and Espinoza, and Carranza and Birring, teamed up at the Doubles Tournament.
“We didn’t talk about expectations,” said head coach Nimrat Chahal. “At this point, everybody is good. I just wanted them to enjoy the moment.”
Sandhu, a senior, lost 6-3, 6-0 to third-seeded Riley Avila of Oakdale in the opening round.
“Harkiran had a tough draw. She battled. All of the points were competitive. She had trouble winning points. The other girl didn’t make a lot of mistakes.”
“I played how I normally play,” Sandhu added. “I had fun out there. I was able to get a few points on her. She’s the best player I’ve seen all season. All of the girls out there are pretty good players.”
Sandhu, a third-year player, had a memorable final season with the Hawks. She compiled a 17-3 overall record.
She had a .944 winning percentage (17-1) against Western Athletic Conference opponents.
Sandhu made program history by becoming Central Valley’s first-ever league singles champion. She won all four of her matches en route to claiming the WAC title.
Sandhu logged playing time at No. 2 singles this fall.
“It’s hard to predict if you’re going to have a league champion. It’s a rare thing.”
“I’m very proud of myself at how much I was able to accomplish this season,” Sandhu said. “I definitely surprised myself. I played way better than I thought I would.”
“She’s a hard worker on and off the court. She’s very coachable. She’s smart. That’s really important.”
Higle, a senior, lost 6-2, 6-3 to Rodriguez’s Taylor Tieu in the first round.
“Aleena had a winnable match. There were a lot of deuce points that went the other girl’s way. It was very competitive.”
Higle also had a productive final season with the Hawks.
She posted an 18-2 overall record.
“She had an awesome career. She pretty much accomplished everything.”
Higle won all 14 of her matches during the 2025 WAC regular season.
She bested three of four opponents on her way to placing second at the WAC Singles Tournament.
She had a near-perfect 17-1 record versus conference competition.
“She’s all power. She has a big serve and forehand. That helped her win.”
Jauregui and Espinoza lost 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 to Los Banos’ Gabriela Romo and Melissa Fernandez in the first round of the Section Doubles Tournament.
Jauregui and Espinoza led 5-4 during the first set.
“It was a pretty even match. It was back and forth the whole time. AJ (Aaliyah) and Valerie both went out there and did their best. They played well.”
Jauregui and Espinoza joined rare company by becoming the fifth doubles team from Central Valley to finish first at a conference tournament.
They claimed the WAC crown with a 4-0 record.
Jauregui, a senior, compiled a 10-0 record while starring at No. 3 singles during the conference’s regular season.
Espinoza, a junior, had an 11-3 record versus WAC competition. She finished 7-3 at No. 4 singles and 3-0 at No. 3 singles.
“Tennis is their second sport. They enjoy the game. They’re awesome athletes. It was fun coaching them.”
Carranza and Birring lost 6-0, 6-0 to top-seeded Vivian Zhang and Sehej Sondhu of Mountain House in the first round of the Section Doubles Tournament.
Carranza, a junior, and Birring, a freshman, gained valuable experience.
“They didn’t back down. There were some competitive points.”
Carranza and Birring reached the finals while teaming up for the first time at the WAC Doubles Tournament.
They compiled a 3-1 record.
“Both of them are first-year players,” said Chahal. “They ended up getting on a roll and winning some matches.”
