The women’s tennis team spent a warm spring afternoon battling it out at home against Sequoias College on March 6.

The Hawks and Giants put up a competitive matches for each meet, but after two and half hours the Giants won 8-1.

“We just play every game at our best, every game you get close to winning and every loss is closer to a victory,” freshman player Salma Prasad said. “Every game is a learning experience, that’s why we’re out here.”

The team of six freshman Hawks took on the Giants who are ranked fifth in the Big 8 conference and with much to learn they still fought back.

“They actually played very well, I didn’t expect them to be like the ranking they were, so I was a bit of shock, and it kind of threw me off,” freshman player Angela Hartado said.

Head Coach Eva De Mars has high hopes for this young team. One of her main concerns was losing focus, not executing and not being able to to battle back.

Double matches are tough, but single matches are more competitive than facing two at a time, and it’s a different strategy to play.

“We go by every losses one step closer to victory, and every match is a closer an individual score, so we’re improving every match,” De Mars said.

Prasad thought the Giants were a fair match for them.

“They played really well, and they were number one on playing singles, but they played better when we went double matchups with them,” Prasad said.

This game marks their seventh loss of the season, and without any sophomores or veteran players to learn from, it becomes a challenge.

De Mars believes the players will continue to improve as the season goes on.

“The experience in matches is what we need, and that’s what we’re getting everytime we compete.”

Last spring, the Hawks had only four official players, which included four sophomores and one freshman. This year it’s all freshman with six official players.

“We’re a team, but it’s an individual sport, so I mean as long everybody feels comfortable we’re supportive for each other no matter if we win or lose,” Prasad said.