Willow Glen Resident

Sports

Tran tops the list of returning players on the court for Rams

By Dick Sparrer/p>

It's official: Don Dushane has retired as a tennis coach at Willow Glen High School.

The longtime coach had coached both the boys and girls teams for many years before he retired as the boys coach in 2002. But he remained on with the Rams as the girls coach--until this season.

Dushane has stepped aside, and Nancy Williams takes over on the courts for the Lady Rams, and she greets a few returning players who promised to make her first season at the helm an interesting one.

"We'll be led by Stephanie Tran at No. 1 singles, and we're also looking for good play from Sandy Tat and Natalie Groft," said Williams, referring to the three returning seniors on this year's squad.

Tran is slated to move into the No. 1 singles spot this fall after playing No. 2 last year behind Diem Ly Vo. Tran and Vo joined forces late last season to win the doubles title in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Santa Teresa Division tournament.

Tat and Groft are other varsity returners for the Rams. Tat, No. 3 on the singles chart last year, moves up to play No. 2 and Groft, who played on the No. 2 doubles team, will be play No. 3 singles.

The coach added that Nicole Unger is a sophomore who "shows a lot of promise." She is currently playing on the No. 2 doubles team.

Senior Camille Rivera is playing No. 4 singles for the Rams and seniors Kristen Davis and Samantha Tsukiji hold down spots on the No. 1 doubles team.

Willow Glen opened the year with a non-league win over Branham, but lost 5-2 to Westmont in the Santa Teresa Division opener. The Rams came back, though, to edge Yerba Buena 4-3 and outlast Prospect 5-2.

The Rams swept in singles play against the Warriors. Tran won 6-4, 6-1 at No. 1 with Tat winning at No. 2, Groft at No. 3 and Rivera at No. 4.

Willow Glen improved to 2-1 in the division and 3-1 for the year with the win over the Panthers last week. Tran nailed a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 1 singles and Davis and Tsukiji teamed for a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 1 doubles.

The Rams, who were to host Mt. Pleasant on Sept. 19, will be on the road for a pair of 3:15 p.m. matches, visiting Evergreen on Sept. 21 and Pioneer on Sept. 26.

Williams looks at Evergreen and Mt. Pleasant as division title favorites and calls her own team's chances "unpredictable." The Rams finished 3-9 last year and tied for fifth in the division.

"We hope to improve on last year's league finish," she said.