The girls varsity table tennis team competed in their last regular season game on January 15 against Benjamin N. Cardozo High School. They ended the season third in the Queens II division with a record of 6-4, trailing Cardozo and Francis Lewis High School. The team has successfully secured a spot in the playoffs, where it will face Eleanor Roosevelt High School on February 3.
The team dominated John Bowne in their opening match of the season, achieving a 5-0 shutout. Every player on the roster for singles and doubles was able to secure their sets in a final score of 3-0.
Junior captain and first singles player Morgan Ma said, “as a team, we all stuck to our game style, whether that be singles, doubles, or exhibition players. No matter what the score said, we all took our matches one point at a time, keeping our cool, and eventually winning our matches.”
The momentum of the team carried on in the next match, as the team earned another 5-0 win against York Early College Academy.
“I’m very proud of every player on the team and how they developed individually and how they bond with the team,” said junior manager Tristan Zheng. “Everyone put in the effort, and during matches, they didn’t give up, no matter the score’s circumstances. There were many ups and downs, especially against tougher opponents, but every player stayed focused and kept improving.”
The team faced some equally capable and skilled players from Francis Lewis and Cardozo High School. Coach Kevin Lau said, “I think we’re going to do fairly well against [those teams in the playoffs]. It’s not going to be easy, but I think that’s what motivates us to continue training and be improving.”
Sophomore Jacey Jin said, “our most difficult game was against Cardozo High School. My doubles partner and I were nervous, so we had some miscommunication happening while we were rotating.” Despite the high-pressure circumstances, the doubles duo was able to shake off the anxiety and finish the match off with a close final score, barely losing 1-3, with two games being lost by only one point.
In the same game, Morgan was also pushed to play her best. She said, “For me personally, the consistency and shot selection from my end made the Cardozo match hard, as I didn’t take the time to decide which shot would be best to execute.”
Overall, out of the six wins the team achieved this season, five of them were 5-0 and the sixth was a forfeited win for THHS. The team attributes their performance to a training regime introduced after the team brought in a new coach from the All-Youth American Table Tennis Association, Coach Jimmy Deng.
Coach Jimmy is an outside coach who “helps us do basic skills: how to hold a paddle, how to hit, closing the paddle, etc. He especially helps with gameplay,” said Junior Hitarthi Bhatt. “I think we have achieved with the help of Coach Jimmy so much more individually and as a team… he’s very encouraging and headstrong, which I think is exactly what we need in a coach.”
