Rio Mesa tennis team proving to be unbeatable
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers BACK 'ATCHA- Rio Mesa High sophomore Sarah Zook returns a serve during practice Wednesday. Last week Zook beat top-rated Oxnard player Moira Hedberg for the first time in her career.

Seventh- and eighth-grade girls may have their work cut out for them if they want to play on the Rio Mesa High girls' tennis team in the future. As young as the Spartans are and the way they've been playing lately, they're pretty much set.

The Spartans, who return their entire team from last season and feature six sophomores, have begun the season with a record of 10-0 and a 3-0 record in league.

"I've been coaching on and off at Rio Mesa since 1981, and this is by far the youngest team, boys or girls, that I've ever had," head coach Steve Worthington said. "I mean all three of our top singles players are sophomores, so we are pretty much set up for a while at that position."

The three sophomores playing singles this year are Jessica Vizents, Sonia Landeros and Sarah Zook.

"Jessica is our current No. 1 singles player and she does a great job handling adversity," Worthington said. "She finds a way to overcome odds and win her matches.

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers NUMBER ONE- Rio Mesa High School sophomore Jessica Vizents volleys during practice on Wednesday.

"Sarah has come a long way too. Last year she couldn't even serve and did all her serves underhand. Now she is doing great as well, especially against Oxnard and their top girl, Moira Hedberg, last week."

Vizents said that the team is more confident this season after getting used to high school tennis last season.

"We are a little more confident this year," Vizents said. "We are all a little more comfortable with each other this year, and everyone seems to be comfortable with their positions on the team as well."

Worthington echoed Vizents statement.

"In terms of team chemistry, everything has jelled perfectly," Worthington said. "The girls are more mature with a season now under their belt, and they seem to know the lay of the land now and understand the format of high school tennis."

While the singles team has played well so has the doubles, who Worthington says has improved dramatically and doesn't rely on the singles team anymore to win games.

The No. 1 doubles team is led by sophomore Claire Willey and senior Hallie Sellers. The No. 2 team is led by senior Sandra Rosene and junior Candace Scholler, who is coming back to the team this season after suffering a wrist injury that kept her out for the previous year and a half. Scholler was the Spartans' No. 1 singles player her freshman season.

"Right now I think I'm at about 85 percent of what I should be," Scholler said. "Last year was very hard for me to watch from the sideline. When I came back in my first game this season I was so excited. I like playing singles a little more than doubles, but I'm just happy to be back having fun and playing, period."

Worthington explained that he was very proud of how far Scholler had come since the injury but added that she will only get better as the season progresses.

"Candace's main difficulty in her play right now is emotionally," Worthington said. "She is not 100 percent yet, and she is not going to make the plays that she once made. She has to allow herself to realize that while she comes back she is going to make some mistakes on the court."

The No. 3 singles team consists of sophomores Savannah Arnot and Meghan Richardson.

"I like to call those two (Arnot and Richardson) the munchkins," Worthington said. "Every day they come to practice with these big grins on their faces, and they bring the team a lot of energy and spirit."

Last season the Spartans shared the Pacific View League title with Oxnard before making the postseason and losing in the semifinals of the Division IV CIFSouthern Section playoffs to Valencia High. This season RMHS looks to go even further into the postseason.

"We now know what we are capable of," Vizents said. "It's not just a dream anymore of us being able to go far in the postseason; it's something we all really believe will happen."

While Rio Mesa's fast start has earned them a lot of respect, Worthington said that the team has a long way to go and added that Oxnard and Pacifica should give them a good fight for the league title in '07.

"We have set the standard for the rest of the league," Worthington said. "We realize that we now have a target on our back and that nobody wants to get embarrassed by us in a match.

"Although we have played well I don't think any coach would ever say he's satisfied with his or her team's play. I think complacency is our biggest danger. If we get complacent in our ways then we will be ripe to beat. If not then we will be in good shape."

The Spartans' next game is at home Tuesday against league rival Camarillo with game time set for 2:30 p.m.