Highline women’s tennis team earned one win and two losses on their trip to Oregon last weekend.

The T-Birds lost 8-1 against Pacific University, won 6-3 against Willamette University, and lost 6-3 against Lewis and Clark.

“It was also great to see the top end of our lineup be able to compete so well against some of the best college tennis players in the Pacific Northwest. Mia Rosa at No. 1 and Celeste Parker at No. 2 legitimately match up against the best out there and T-Bird Captain Selah Carlisle is going to be tough to beat at the No. 3 spot,” said Rosa. 

The Thunderbirds went up against regionally ranked NCAA four-year schools in their weekend away. 

On Feb. 25 the Lady T-Birds’ lost 8-1 to Pacific University. Highline’s only win came from Andrea Guiton at No. 5 singles against Jessica Eligio, 6-3 6-2.

The Lady T-Birds’ had a better result on Saturday against Willamette University, winning 6-3.

Highline took two wins and one loss in doubles against Willamette. 

“We had the opportunity to try out a couple of different doubles combinations early in the season,” Coach Rosa said. “We also got to test our mental and physical readiness as three back-to-back match days is tough especially when we are a team of only six players.”   

Sunday the Lady T-Birds went up against Lewis and Clark, losing 6-3. Match scores weren’t available at press time.

The coach said the team has some things to work on. “As a team we need to learn how to find the balance between playing aggressively but still maintain discipline in shot selection,” she said. “We also need to learn to close out tight matches better.”

Nonetheless, Coach Rosa said they are making progress. “On multiple occasions we were able to push matches to tie breaks, the next step will be learning how to close out those tight matches,” she said.

Highline was a little short handed this weekend. 

“Our format, three doubles points and six singles points, requires six players. Unfortunately we went into the road trip with a player who had rolled her ankle a few days prior in practice,” Rosa said. “She was able to compete by the end of the trip, but we will be in a fragile position all year as far as avoiding injuries. 

“We are lucky enough to have former T-Bird Danielle Mendoza working in the program this year as an Assistant Coach and as our Strength Coach. She is doing a terrific job getting the team physically strong enough to manage a season with no backups,” Coach Rosa said.  

Highline players said they are learning from the early season experience. 

“The teams that we have previously played have all been good. Every opponent brings something different to the court and it is important for us to acknowledge our own strengths while playing harder teams,” said Selah Carlisle. 

Carlisle said she has changed a lot from the previous season. 

“Last season I was nervous throughout every practice and every match,” she said. “I felt that I was not performing as well as I should have been. This year my mindset has changed and I am a lot more relaxed. I have enjoyed every match and every practice this year. By doing this I believe I have progressed a lot since last season.’’

Another player, Princess Ventura, said that the team had a lot to learn from their early season matches. 

“I would say we as a team learned a ton of lessons that I know will help benefit us in the future,” she said. “For me personally, my biggest take away was that every point matters and that if you can’t win for yourself, you have to find the courage to do it for the whole team.” 

The Highline Lady T-Birds next opponent will be against Bellevue Bulldogs, as a home game on March 4 at 8 p.m. at the Boeing Tennis Club in Kent.