With the completion of the refurbishment of the tennis courts in 2023, the girls’ tennis program had home court advantage for the first time in three years, and the results were tangible: varsity tripled their win total from last season and will send two athletes to CIF play-offs, and JV captured a league title. 

“We [were] much more competitive this year due to the repaired courts because we [had] more practice time and [could] utilize the campus, which had an impact on our performance,” Kimberley Wu, senior, said. Wu, along with doubles partner Jocelyn Islas, will compete in CIF play-offs, which begin Nov. 20. 

“I’m so fortunate to have the opportunity to play in CIF, especially with such a talented partner,” Islas said.

Last year, varsity struggled to a 3-13 overall record, but this year, the girls finished their season 10-12, with seven of the wins at BOHS. Even in their losses, improvement was evident. A year ago, the team lost to El Dorado 18-0, but this season, varsity managed a 9-9 tie against the Golden Hawks on Oct. 10. (The match was ultimately decided by total game count, which El Dorado won, 77-74.)  

Junior varsity also showed marked improvement, increasing their wins from two in ’22-’23, to 11 this season. They capped their season with a North Hills League championship with a win over El Dorado on Oct. 19.

“We put in a lot of effort and it paid off,” Margaret Oh, sophomore, said.

Refurbished tennis courts aren’t the only addition to the program this year. Varsity welcomed co-head coach Avery Wang, who works alongside veteran coach Irwin Nahn (’12). Wang primarily works with on the varsity side, while Nahn focuses on JV and boys’ varsity. 

“Our coaches play such a big part in the team and the program, so we are so fortunate to have such supportive coaches,” Islas said.

For the previous two years, the boys’ and girls’ programs were forced to practice 4.3 miles away at El Dorado High School in Placentia due to the unplayable condition of the BOHS courts, which were sloped and cracked. From Monday through Thursday, the tennis team couldn’t hit the courts until 6 p.m. 

“On many occasions, the doors would be locked, the lights would shut off, and there was a lack of communication between [each school’s] staffs which was frustrating because of the commute we had to make every night,” Stella Kim, junior, said. 

Islas called the lack of a home court a “mental obstacle.” 

Forced to practice at another site and in the evenings meant the teams could not utilize Wildcat Way’s steep hill and the stadium for conditioning. “Having the campus as a resource is very beneficial to the tennis program,” Phoebe Dang, freshman, said.

The repairing of the BOHS courts was especially welcome for the tennis program’s seniors who, for the first time in their careers, practiced and played games on a home court. The delay was especially frustrating for the seniors, who not only had to wait two years due to the condition of the courts, but were unable to play their freshman year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two-year delay in fixing the courts was due to uncertainty as to what was to blame for the damage. “We thought [the cracks] couldn’t be fixed due to the fact it was on a slope,” Pam Valenti, girls’ athletic director, said.

Kathryn Sim, junior, took matters into her own hands by starting a petition to get the BOHS tennis courts repaired. Eventually, Deana Miller, school board president, saw the petition and its 680 signatures, and initiated repair of the courts. 

In 2022, the damage was assessed by a general contractor from Prosurface, Inc. and a solution was found: Courtflex, which successfully sealed the cracks and leveled the surface, making the courts playable again.

“I am just so happy that I got to play at least one season on my home turf,” Islas said.