The girls’ tennis team’s season came to a close with a 3-15 loss to Palos Verdes in the first round of the CIF playoffs.

The final matchup saw the girls facing an opponent they lost to 4-14 earlier in the season.

Despite the season-ending loss, team members said they saw positives in how the match went.

“The team was pretty disappointed because we really wanted to move onto the next round, but I think we were all really proud of how we played,” Grace Swift ’19 said. “Everyone was cheering each other on and energy was high until the end.”

Another player reflected on how they had given it their best attempt.

“We lost but we left it all on the court so I don’t think the score reflected how we played,” Chloe Donovan ’19 said. “We all had so much energy and ended the season on a high note.”

Having played Palos Verdes the players said they had an idea of what to expect from their opponent.

“We already knew that this team was going to be tough,” team captain Lara Mikhail ’18 said. “We played them in the beginning of the season and lost 4-14. They have a lot of high-caliber players. We were hoping to get a little bit better of a result but we honestly were not expecting to wipe them out. Everyone just went in with the mindset that they were just going to get everything back and fight till the very last point.”

Despite the CIF loss, team members said they are satisfied with their success this season.

“We definitely knew going into the season that because we lost a lot of strong players, we were going to have trouble being as dominant,” Mikhail said. “We worked really hard this season and we’re honestly a different team now than we were at the beginning of September. While we’re disappointed to be eliminated from CIF so early, we’re proud of this season, and also we knew that it was a very real possibility that CIF finals were just not happening again.”

The Wolverines finished the season with an overall record of 8-4 and had only one league loss for the second season in a row.

Members of the squad, especially standout underclassmen who plan to be returning next year look forward to the 2018 season, Donovan said.

“Next year, it would great if we got farther in CIF but my main goal is to have an experience as great as this year has been,” Donovan said. “I feel so bonded to my teammates that it feels like a family, which I hope is continued next year because it is something really special.”