Archer’s varsity tennis team remained undefeated throughout their league season. Their victory against YULA Oct. 24 secured their fifth consecutive undefeated season and advanced the team to CIF Division II playoffs. The team competed in the first round of CIF playoffs Nov. 2, but lost in the second round to Fountain Valley High School Nov. 4.

Freshman Tatiana Bojeczko has been playing tennis for Archer since she was in eighth grade, and this is her first year playing on varsity. She said the environment has been welcoming and she has been able to connect with team members from different grade levels.

“As a freshman, being on varsity is such a cool experience. We have three seniors and three freshmen,” Bojeczko said. “When we had tryouts, everyone was like, ‘Oh my god, you’re going to make it, you’re so good at tennis’ – they were all so nice to me.”

Bojeczko currently plays doubles with sophomore Surya Patil, but, before that, she was a singles player in middle school. Prompted by the team’s coach Paula Feigenbaum to make the switch, Bojeczko said the transition between the two gaming styles was hard, but she has found it rewarding.

“It’s a whole different dynamic. You can’t just rely on yourself. You have to rely on your partner as well. You have to do a lot of communicating,” Bojeczko said. “Being friendly with your partner is a big thing as well. Even if you hit the net two times in a row, just say ‘It’s okay!’ and move on. We always have those little moments, but, in the end, it turns out okay.”

Senior Sydney Frank, who also made the transition from singles to playing doubles this year, said playing doubles is less intense than playing singles but relies more on strategy than precision.

“Since I am playing with another senior on the team, there’s a high chance of us going to CIF together, rather than if we both played singles – probably only one of us would’ve went,” Frank said. “My coach put on us on doubles so we’d both be able to go to CIF and have a good senior year.”

Frank automatically qualified and was named doubles MVP for CIF with her doubles teammate and fellow senior Rose Sarner  because they were undefeated in the Liberty League. Alongside the two, junior Audrey Chang will compete as a singles player at CIF. Chang won the Liberty League Individual tournament Oct. 26 and was named the MVP in the league for singles.

Frank said a memorable moment from this season occurred when the team won the First Serve Tournament  – something that the varsity team hasn’t accomplished before. This tournament is an annual sporting competition and was held Sept. 24 at Marina High School.

“I’ve been going to [the tournament] since ninth grade, and this was the first year we won, so I think that just speaks to the level of the team this year – it’s so much better than it ever has been,” Frank said.

Throughout their season, the team competed in a total of 17 games, scrimmages and tournaments, and won 15 of the matches. The team competed in scrimmages against Division I schools such as Campbell Hall, Windward and Brentwood, all of which resulted in first-time wins for the team.

Bojeczko said some of her favorite team memories come from their time spent on the bus while traveling to and from games. Bojeczko spoke to a specific moment after a game in Santa Barbara and a successful scrimmage against Harvard Westlake, a Division I school.

“When we went to Santa Barbara, the seniors were like ‘Let’s get some dinner,’ and we all got dinner from this place, and we ate on the bus. I love all the bus rides and being together as a team,” Bojeczko said. “We also have this cheer that we do, and we move around in a circle saying, ‘Archer one, two, three.’ When we played Harvard Westlake, we were like ‘We got this, hopefully we win!’ but we just showed how we are so spirited, and that was the best time we ever did that cheer.’ 

This is Frank’s last year playing for the team, and she reflected on her tennis career and how she will be affected once the season is over.

“Our league just ended, and we had our senior night. It was so cute – my coach and all the girls put so much effort into it, and I had so much fun. I think right now since we still have team playoffs, it’s not hitting me yet that it’s my last season, but, definitely, by the end of it, I’m going to be really sad,” Frank said. “It’s funny — one of the girls who was a senior when I was a freshman came to our senior night, and I got to see her for the first time in forever. She was telling us that she really misses Archer tennis, and it was a core part of her Archer experience. I think when I’m away, I’ll miss it.