The Los Altos girls tennis team won the CIF State Championship Saturday in a close 4-3 win over Southern California regional champions Corona del Mar.
Los Altos head coach Hung Nguyen was proud of the team for pulling off an incredible win over the Sea Kings from Newport Beach.
“I couldn’t believe we pulled it off,” Nguyen said.
The day started with doubles partners Cory Medeiros and Carissa Lai winning their matchup (2-6, 6-0, 6-3), while No. 1 Bella Mariona, the anchor of the team, won her game (6-2, 7-5).
“Cory and Carissa caught fire in the second set, building confidence for the whole team,” Nguyen said.
Emily Wu (6-2, 4-6, 6-4) and Pallavi Mallampati (7-5, 6-7, 6-0) had marathon singles matches, with both playing close to three hours and having everyone come to watch in the end.
“The last two matches were gut-wrenching, to say the least,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen praised the pair for being competitive in a tough game that had long rallies and handling the intensity that comes with playing in front of a crowd with big stakes.
“It was a privilege to even watch that kind of tennis,” Nguyen said. “I’m really lucky to be a part of that.”
Los Altos relied on its depth to get through to reach and win the state final at the Fresno State campus, going up against the best of Southern California and getting the four wins needed to take home the title. The team had several injuries and absences throughout the fall and still achieved its season goals. The state title is the first for Los Altos and a Northern California representative on the girls tennis side. The first California state title was in 2023, with Southern California representative Mater Dei beating Menlo School, while the 2024 edition saw Palos Verdes beat Los Altos. In addition to the state title win Saturday in Fresno, Los Altos also won the CIF NorCal regional championship and the Central Coast Section title earlier in the season.
