By Pete Borello
 Chris Luk plays No. 1 singles for the Mountain View High boys tennis team Thursday against Lynbrook. The Spartans lost 5-2. |
The Mountain View High boys tennis team has no illusions of competing for a league title or a playoff berth this season.
The Spartans, whose No. 1 player unexpectedly opted not to play this year, are just trying to stay out of last place.
“The hope is to at least get a couple more wins,” coach Frank Smyth said. “We’ll probably finish close to the bottom.”
Mountain View (3-8 overall) is ahead of only Los Gatos in the tough SCVAL De Anza Division. The Spartans are 1-7 in the division, with their lone victory coming against those winless Wildcats.
Although the season has been a difficult one for his players, Smyth is proud of the way they’re handling it.
“I like what’s happening – the players seem to respect each other and there’s not much negativity,” Mountain View’s eighth-year coach said. “Our record is not very good in the division, but the intensity level of the team remains strong and I’m pleased with that.”
The Spartans could have dropped into the more friendly SCVAL El Camino Division this season, but Smyth lobbied to stay up because he believed his squad would be better than last year’s last-place finisher. Smyth’s thinking changed by the end of January, when it was clear last year’s top singles player, Toki Sherbakov, wasn’t going to show up for preseason training. The coach said he doesn’t know why Sherbakov didn’t come out for the team.
Smyth found a new No. 1 singles player by holding a teamwide tournament. Senior Chris Luk, who played No. 1 doubles last year, emerged as the winner. Luk has one league win (against Los Gatos) and non-league victories against Cupertino and Woodside.
“He’s probably better for doubles, but he’s held up pretty well against some good singles players,” Smyth said. “He’s got a good serve and his strokes are good. His mobility is not bad, but you really need to be mobile at No. 1 to chase down balls.”
Robert Dowling, a junior, recently moved from No. 1 doubles to No. 2 singles. No player on the team is better at volleying than Dowling, according to Smyth. The junior hasn’t won a singles match yet, but won twice in doubles.
“He has good mobility and ground strokes and a really good serve and volley,” Smyth said. “He has a good complete game – it’s just a matter of fine-tuning his singles game.”
Dowling’s former doubles partner, Casey Corman, has moved to No. 3 singles. The senior is also still seeking his first singles win.
“He’s probably the fastest player on the team – he has great mobility,” Smyth said. “He probably goes too fast sometimes and that can lead to errors. But he’s very competitive.”
No. 4 player Addison Chung is another player adjusting to singles; the junior primarily played No. 2 doubles last year. Chung has wins against Los Gatos, Cupertino and Woodside.
“He’s a pretty good player,” Smyth said. “He hits the ball hard – forehand and backhand – he just needs more top spin. He has a pretty good all-around game.”
The Spartans’ top doubles team features Blake Thiessen and Ben Parker, who began the season at No. 2 and 3 singles, respectively. Parker is a senior, while Thiessen is a left-handed freshman who “is coming along well,” Smyth said. “If he gets more comfortable and improves his confidence, he will be a very good player.”
The pair earned their first win last week, beating Monta Vista in a match Mountain View lost 5-2.
The Spartans’ No. 2 doubles team comprises juniors Eric Lin and Brian Hamel. “They have a few wins,” Smyth said. “They’re doing pretty well.”
The No. 3 doubles team of junior Benjie Smith and sophomore Garrett Nano posted the Spartans’ sole win in a recent 6-1 loss to rival Los Altos.
“They’re coming along,” Smyth said. “Benjie has a pretty good serve and that sets up Garrett for poaching. But they both need more work on their volleys.”
The Spartans – who fell to Monta Vista and Lynbrook last week by 5-2 scores – are scheduled to host Saratoga at 3:30 p.m. today.
Contact Pete Borello at peteb@latc.com.
