Central Valley’s girls tennis program has reached unprecedented heights since moving from the Central California Conference to the Western Athletic Conference in 2024.

The Hawks posted a combined record of 26-0 on their way to claiming back-to-back WAC titles and Sac-Joaquin Section playoff berths the past two seasons.

Central Valley plans to make more history this fall.

“We’ve had a really good team the last couple of years,” said Hawks’ leader Nimrat Chahal, who was voted the WAC’s Coach of the Year in 2025 and 2024. “We have a system in place. We expect to keep competing and winning.”

“People on campus know tennis is doing really well,” he added. “It’s a good feeling.”

Central Valley’s team roster will look drastically different this season as 10 players were lost to graduation, including Aleena Higle, Harkiran Sandhu, Aaliyah Jauregui, Roxana Orozco, Selena Cubillo, Valeria Sanchez Luna, Illyana Vidal, Jameelah Martin Del Campo, Elizabeth Alvarez and Jaqueline Padilla.

Higle, Sandhu, Jauregui, Orozco, Vidal, Sanchez Luna and Martin Del Campo were starters.

Higle, Sandhu, Jauregui and Orozco had a combined record of 51-1 in singles play during the WAC regular season.

Higle made history by becoming Central Valley’s first outright Most Valuable Player in league play. The fourth-year contributor won all 14 of her matches while starring at No. 1 singles.

Sandhu and Jauregui were selected to the WAC First Team.

Sandhu, a third-year player, posted a 13-1 record at No. 2 singles.

Jauregui, a third-year player, posted a 10-0 record at No. 3 singles.

Orozco was named to the WAC Second Team. The third-year player won all 14 of her matches at No. 6 singles.

“A lot of our girls are new,” Chahal said. “We only have four varsity girls back from last year.”

Chahal will carry 27 players on his roster this fall, including Valerie Acevedo (Sr.), Natalia Campos (Sr.), Emily Carranza, (Sr.), Valerie Espinoza (Sr.), Beverly Hance (Sr.), Aaralyn Jauregui (Sr.), Isabella Michelena (Sr.), Liliana Ochoa (Sr.), Samantha Sarabia Zavala (Sr.), Evelyn Valenzuela (Sr.), Genesis Velazquez Pedraza (Sr.), Yahiza Bustos (Jr.), Krystal Lazaro (Jr.), Valeria Olaes (Jr.), Karla Robles (Jr.), Aliah Romero (Jr.), Lauren Salvatera (Jr.), Yaretzi Valdovinos (Jr.), Samantha Zuniga (Jr.), Serath Birring (So.), Constanza Jaime Dominguez (So.), Victoria Jaime Dominguez (So.), Gurneet Kaur (Fr.), Simarpreet Kooner (Fr.), Valeria Naranjo (Fr.), Chanelle Ramirez (Fr.) and Lizette Tafolla (Fr.).

The 2026 Hawks return 15 players from a year ago, Campos, Carranza, Espinoza, Jauregui, Michelena, Sarabia Zavala, Valenzuela, Velazquez Pedraza, Bustos, Robles, Salvatera, Birring, Constanza Jaime Dominguez and Victoria Jaime Dominguez.

Acevedo, Hance, Ochoa, Lazaro, Olaes, Romero, Valdovinos, Zuniga, Kaur, Kooner, Naranjo and Ramirez are new to the team.

“We have a good mix of players,” Chahal said. “Our returning (varsity) girls are confident. They understand what it takes to win. They’ve been a part of (WAC championship) teams.”

Birring, Espinoza, Carranza and Campos all started last season.

Espinoza was named to the WAC Second Team as a junior.

She posted an 10-3 record in conference play.

Espinoza went 7-3 at No. 4 singles and 3-0 at No. 3 singles.

Espinoza and Hawk teammate Aaliyah Jauregui joined rare company by becoming the fifth doubles duo from Central Valley to finish first at a conference tournament.

They claimed the WAC crown with a 4-0 record.

Birring was named to the WAC Second Team as a freshman. She posted a 14-0 record at No. 5 singles.

Birring also teamed up with Carranza to win three of four matches en route to a second-place finish at the WAC Doubles Tournament.

Birring, Espinoza, Carranza, Campos, Bustos and Sarabia Zavala will start at No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 singles, respectively, this year.

Velazquez and Jauregui will team up at No. 1 doubles.

Salvatera and Tafolla will contribute at No. 2 doubles.

Michelena and Robles will partner at No. 3 doubles.

Espinoza, Carranza, Campos and Sarabia Zavala are team leaders.

“Those are our four seniors,” Chahal said. “They lead by example. They’re here every day. They work hard.”

The Hawks enjoyed their best season to date in 2025.

Central Valley compiled a 17-2 overall record, repeated as WAC champions with a perfect 14-0 record and reached the quarterfinals of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-II playoffs for the second year in a row.

The Hawks had two singles players and a pair of doubles teams advance to the Section’s Division-II Individual Singles and Doubles Tournaments after reaching the finals at the WAC Championships.

“I don’t think a season like that will ever be repeated,” said Chahal, whose team has won its last 26 league matches dating back to 2024. “It was special. Our two losses were to section championship teams.”

Central Valley will be vying for its third straight conference title and playoff berth in 2026.

The Hawks’ WAC schedule includes home-and-away matches against Ceres High, Beyer, Grace Davis, Johansen, Lathrop, Livingston and Pacheco.

The top three teams qualify for the postseason.

“There’s no pressure,” Chahal said. “If we play to our potential, we should be in the playoff hunt. We want to win another league championship. That’s our goal. We’re capable of it.”

The Hawks will also look to continue their run of dominance against the crosstown-rival Bulldogs.

Central Valley has a 15-1 record versus Ceres High since 2014.

The Bulldogs are coached by second-year leader Jesse Apodaca.

“We’re looking forward to playing against them,” Chahal said. “It’s more than a rivalry. It’s a friendship. We try to help each other out.”

“Jesse is a good coach,” he added. “His knowledge of the game is second to none. He knows what he’s doing. It’s going to take time to rebuild (Ceres High’s) program back to where it used to be. His team is still learning. We were there once.”