After six of the girls on Coronado High School’s varsity tennis team graduated last season, the program was left with four returning varsity players for 2024-25 – two of whom have been benched for the season so far due to ACL injuries. This left the few returning athletes in a unique spot: it was on them to fill the roster.
“They went to other teams and were like, ‘okay, who has good hand-eye coordination, who has a good work ethic and who is a good teammate?” said varsity assistant coach Beth Elardo.
The result? A team put together by seven CHS lacrosse players, one softball player and one soccer player.
“I loaned out rackets to many of the kids because they didn’t even have rackets,” said Beth Elardo. “Some of them didn’t know how to serve. They didn’t know how to hit a forehand, a backhand, a volley – they didn’t know any tennis strategy.”
Holding their own in the western league
Yet, nearing the end of their season, the girls stand at a 5-7 record as of Oct. 11 as a CIF Division 3 team in the western league, where over 75% of the teams in their conference are ranked as Division 1 or 2 teams.
It was their strategy of recruiting competitive athletes from other sports that Beth Elardo attributes to the girls holding their own against the more experienced teams.
“They already had great athletic skills coming in, they just didn’t play tennis, but their work ethic has gotten them to where they all play great tennis,” said Beth Elardo. “I mean for the lacrosse girls, the lacrosse stick is like a tennis racket. The ball has to go in the stick a certain way to catch it. It’s the exact same concept with tennis – the ball has to hit the racket in the sweet spot.”
Junior captain Grace Elardo, committed to play Division 1 lacrosse at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, currently leads the team with a 31-5 record. Sophomore doubles partners Brynn Belong and Sam Aldworth closely trail behind with a record of 23-13. Sophomore Lilah Cade and junior Logan Shapiro, who also compete in doubles, boast over 20 match wins as well.
Senior captain Carlota Peralta, who is one of the two athletes currently out with an ACL injury, attributes the team’s bond and work ethic to many of the season wins.
“We were really surprised to see how the team turned out after tryouts. I’ve been on varsity for years and I’ve never been on a team this bonded.” – Carlota Peralta, senior captain.
“We were really surprised to see how the team turned out after tryouts,” said Peralta. “I’ve been on varsity for years and I’ve never been on a team this bonded. This team is always so motivated to be here; they’re always committed at practice; they don’t complain about anything; they listen to advice; they’re all just good friends with each other.”
Eyes set on winning Division 3 title
Currently ranked fourth in the Division 3 league, so far the girls have secured conference wins against Otay Ranch High School, University City High School twice, Granite Hills High School and Mira Mesa High School. Two of their four losses were close games against Canyon Hills and Clairemont, with a score of 8-10 for both.
Last year, doubles team Grace Elardo and Maria Anaya were knocked out in the Division 2 finals by Mater Dei Catholic High School. This year, the team’s goal is to win the Division 3 playoffs.
“We all want to play for each other and want to bring out the best in each and every one of us, so I feel like with that, we’re on our way to win,” said junior captain Anaya.
Wrapping up the season
The week of Oct. 21 will be a conference tournament where singles and doubles players across the CIF will battle it out for individual rankings. The following week will be the CIF team tournament, where schools will compete for division championship titles. To conclude the season, beginning Nov. 4, the top four singles players and top four doubles players from the conference tournament will compete for their individual titles.
According to Beth Elardo, the girls have their eyes set on battling for a team championship in the CIF team tournament.
“Our motto since the beginning of the season has been ‘We is greater than I,’” said Beth Elardo. “We know we’re in a tough division, but tough makes us better. I could not be any happier with this team. Their attitudes are wonderful, they’re having fun and they work really hard.”
