The morning of the girls tennis match against Los Gatos High School, sophomore Arushi Rai could not walk. After doing a set of squats the night before, her right leg knotted tightly. With her one good leg, Rai traveled to her classes via scooter, unsure of whether she would play that day’s match.

While girls tennis was undefeated during the 2013 season, they have not been as dominant this year. Particularly, MVHS was tested by Saratoga High School when they lost to them 6-1 the previous week. However, the team recuperated with a 6-1 win against LGHS on Oct. 22.

After school, Rai visited trainer Marie Gishifu to sort out her injury. Gishifu worked her magic, and Rai warmed up for the match with her treated leg.

“I couldn’t run that fast,” Rai said. “But I could walk.”

In what Rai refers to as “total destruction,” she went undefeated in her doubles match with partner junior Sarah Lim. Rai attributes the win to the lack of skill in her opponent, but believes that some of her own mental toughness played a part as well.

Unlike Rai, freshman Rashmi Ghonasji found a challenge in her opponent’s own skill. Particularly, her slice hit, or a volley hit with backspin, was a challenge for Ghonasji to overcome. Although Ghonasji dominated the set, she gave dissatisfied stare each time her opponent gained a point. The slice remained a nuisance that needed to be solved.

As the sets progressed, Ghonasji found her opponent’s Achilles heel, a low backhand. Finishing each set with a 6-2 win, Ghonasji shook her opponent’s hand, picked up the score card and left with something of a smile.

“Last week’s loss against [SHS] was really tough on me and my partner,” Ghonasji said. “We just barely lost.”

The man who watched the game unfold behind the court fence, eleven-year-head-coach Gene Fortino, believed the win was exactly what the team needed.

“I’m proud of the girls,” Fortino said. “We had a tough loss last Thursday against [SHS] so we want to come out positive.”

As the season draws closer to the CCS playoffs, the team looks to continue their success as a contender. For individuals and the team, there are still hurdles to overcome, but the team hopes to close the gap.