The Gondoliers, 10-3, will be going against the Number one Seed, the North Hollywood Huskies, for the Division 1 Finals.

According to Coach Andrew Horen, despite being the underdogs and going against the number one Seed, the Huskies, they’re in a position to win.

“We played the number two seed two days ago. Out of 16 sets of singles, the four girls only lost one set.”

“We definitely have a good group of fighters and that’s why we’re in a position to win.”

Senior Nasha Lin, a captain, believes that they have a chance to defeat North Hollywood because they have beaten three teams that are higher seeds than the Gondoliers.

“I think that we shouldn’t get discouraged, but based on their previous statistics, I believe we have a chance,” she said.

The singles players, Nasha Lin, Lucie Combredet, Elyse Bouchar and Joanna Huang, will be playing like professional tennis players due to the game’s Round Robin tournament style—making the game longer and more difficult, Coach Horen said.

“So really, it’s just gonna come down to a battle of wills out there. Looking at the physical and mental stamina. So we’ll see, it’ll be fun,” Horen mentions.

“I think it just goes back to their fighting spirit.”

Kali Laperye and Ella Wind are an example of that spirit as “they are our most improved players along with being the number one doubles team,” Coach Horen said.

Senior Lucie Combredet, a captain, says that a combination of “keeping a winners mentality” has led the team towards a successful season.

“The team has collectively made an effort to work together and consider ourselves family, which has given the team the confidence and drive to get this far in the season,” Combredet said.

“We feel like we can actually fully perform our best,” she said.

Lin adds that, “the team has been able to persevere, even when the score and the game’s outcome might not look promising.” “We have continued to have a very resilient mindset.”

Combredet believes that “using that fire determination is what will get us a win today.”

Sam Laxamana contributed to the writing of this piece