Currently, Lowell is 2-2, after beating amateur Lick Wilmerding and Mills teams and losing to a less-than-impressive Tamalpais High squad and a very intimidating Saint Ignatius team.

On Aug. 31, the Cardinals suffered their first loss to Tamalpais High, a team that did not match the Cardinals’ talent but had the advantage of experience and luck on their side. Mills massacred three out of the Cardinals’ top five ranked singles players. Their doubles department fared better, with the top-ranked players winning, but the team still took the loss, a taint on the record of the reigning AAA champions.

The next loss, at the hands of SI on Sep. 5, was again discouraging. The Cardinals received sub-par results from their top-ranked singles players, with all four of them losing. The only victory for the Cardinals came from the tag-team duo of sophomore Maria Klionsky and senior co-captain Minnie Wong.

Though the other AAA teams have no one as near as impressive as the players of SI and Tamalpais, the Cardinals should be concerned with winning and learning from all their preseason matches, not just settling for beating up on weak AAA teams.

Despite these disappointing losses, Lowell can be excited with the underclassmen, specifically Etin. Against Tamalpais, the number-two-ranked Etin quickly disposed of her opponent, winning 6-0, 6-0, making herself one of only two singles players to win their matches.

In the SI match, Etin led the Cardinals in the number-one-ranked position. The freshman lost the first set 7-6 but quickly shrugged off that loss by breezing through the next set, embarrassing her opponent 6-1. At the end of the tiebreaker, the exhaustion of playing in a two-hour-and-15 minute match unfortunately got into the legs and head of the Lowell freshman, and she lost 8-4. Though this epic battle ended in a loss for Etin, the talent and effort she put out should surely serve as inspiration to the rest of the team¬—and much is needed.

On Sep. 10 the team answered Etin’s gallant effort by turning the Lowell tennis courts into a slaughterhouse for Lick Wilmerding, winning every match but two.

The team continued in this same manner on Sep. 12, when all their top-ranked singles players won against an inadequate Mills High School.

Coming into this season, the Cardinals have huge shoes to fill: those of last year’s stellar seniors, Lana Tsodikova, Jennifer Tsang and Jennifer Tom. They also have a new coach, Jimmy Rosenheim, who also has huge shoes to fill: those of Terrance Doherty, the former tennis coach. Looking at the 2-2 record and the new coach’s methods, such as optional practice and late-starting practice, one could say the tennis team may be in for a bumpy ride.

To get over these bumps, the team is looking to capitalize on several players’ natural talent, including senior co-captains Aja Estares and Minnie Wong, juniors Yana Nabu and Kira Ostapenko and sophomores Julia Kotzian, Sally Ness and Klionsky.

Despite all the downs that the tennis team has experienced, sophomore Brandee Ma feels hopeful about the season. “These losses don't worry me because we're strong enough to pull through and learn from our mistakes,” she said.

With such a wise attitude and raw talent, Lowell will be on the warpath which means any team they play certainly faces annihilation. Look for this dominance in their next match which is a tournament in Fresno today and tomorrow.