Coach Lauren Hickey's Vikings, in 2023, served up a memorable season. West Valley rolled through the Coast Conference with a perfect 12-0 mark and lost just once to a community college program in amassing a 14-2 overall record. The only blemishes were a season-opening loss to NAIA program William Jessup University and a season-ending loss to perrenial power College of the Sequoias in the NorCal finals. In between were 14 consecutive wins, including a NorCal regional semifinal sweep of Reedley. The Vikings finsihed the year ranked 4th in the final ITA state rankings. Abigail Prokter earned a #23 final ranking in singles, while Lindsay Lee and Sonya Hu ended up 30th and 43rd, respectively. Prokter/Lee finished 7th in doubles, and Brynn McKenzie/Hu were 27th and Lavanika Sharma/Tal Volinsky were 45th. Hickey was named the Coast Conference Coach of the Year.

A program-record six Vikings qualified for the CCCAA state championship tournament in Ojai. Hu, Lee and Prokter qualified in singles, as did doubles pairs Prokter/Lee, McKenzie/Hu and Sharma/Volinsky. Prokter/Lee reached the quarterfinals. Hu, Lee and Prokter earned All-Coast Conference honors. Prokter won the ITA NorCal singles title in October 2022 and played in the national championship tournament in Athens, GA.

The 2023 Vikings took care of business in the classroom, too, earning a collective 3.51 team GPA in the fall. They also put the "community" in community college through volunteer service and were named the 2023 ITA Region One Community Service Award winner.

It didn't take long for Hickey to turn West Valley women's tennis into, in her words, "a program on a quick ascent into NorCal dominance." After taking over a Viking program that hadn't played a match in three decades, the Vikings won a single match in 2019. But, Hickey's 2020 Vikings finished 5-5 thanks, in large part, to three sophomores playing some of the most improved tennis in NorCal and six productive first-year athletes. The 2020 Vikings ended the year ranked #10 in NorCal and #24 in California. But, it was the 2022 Viking squad that confirmed Hickey's "quick ascent" prediction.

When one looks at the team's 2022 campaign, one needs look no further than the final Coast Conference standings. Hickey's Vikings finished just behind the CCCAA state runner-up (Cañada) and the team with the state singles and doubles champion (Zoe Olmos of Chabot). The Coast was brutal in 2022 and WVC's performance was a testament to the continued growth of one the state's most prominent up-and-coming squads. 

In 2022, the Vikings finished 10-6 overall, 8-4 in the Coast, and ended the year 16th in the state (7th among NorCal teams) in the final ITA rankings, a major jump in only a handful of years . Four Vikings - Zeynep Aynaci, Sonya Hu, Abigail Prokter and Seraphina Vossen - all qualified for both the CCCAA NorCal and State Championship tournaments. Prokter and Vossen earned All-Coast Conference honors and Hickey was named the Coast Conference Co-Coach of the Year, along with Chabot's Rick Morris. Prokter ended the year 12th in the final ITA singles rankings and, with Vossen, 12th on the ITA doubles list. Prokter was the ITA Region One Rookie of the Year and teamed with Vossen captured the 2021 ITA NorCal Doubles Championships and a berth in the ITA National Championships in Georgia.

Academic success, in addition to wins on the court, are of paramount importance for Hickey's program. The 2023 Vikings were the fourth straight WVC squad to be named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic team.  

Hickey's first Viking team in 2019 featured Arlenne Quinones, Abigail Salazar and Sovanny Thach, the players who helped the Vikings to the huge improvement in 2020. That first-year squad also saw doubles partners Joyce Chou and Lydia Tellgren advance to the state championship tournament in Ojai. Before the season was unexpectedly halted, the 2020 team was making a playoff push, winning three of its last four matches, including a season-ending 5-4 thriller over 8-2 Chabot. With a final state #24 ranking, Hickey's Vikings defeated #16 Chabot and #19 Solano in regular season match play. 

A basketball and tennis standout at Santa Rosa's Ursuline High School, Hickey decided to focus on tennis at Santa Rosa Junior College. As a Bear Cub, she was an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American in doubles with twin sister Kelly in 2004 and 2005, and an ITA singles All-American in 2005. Hickey was SRJC's MVP and team captain and was named a CCCAA Scholar-Athlete both years. She transfered to the University fo San Francisco, where she was, again, a decorated scholar-athlete.

After graduating from USF, Hickey became the women's tennis co-head coach at City College of San Francisco (2008). She returned to Santa Rosa in 2009 as the men's and women's assistant coach at SRJC and then took over as the head women's coach at Foothill College in Los Altos. 

At Foothill, she was named the Coast Conference Coach of the Year four times (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014). In 2014, Hickey was named the Coach of the Year for California Junior and Community Colleges by the ITA. She left Los Altos for Saratoga in 2018 to resurrect a Viking program that had been dormant for 30 years.

For more information about West Valley women's tennis, contact Coach Hickey at lauren.hickey@westvalley.edu.

Q&A with Coach Lauren Hickey

What is your favorite West Valley memory?

"The first win in program history." (A 7-2 win over intra-district rival Mission College on March 8, 2019)

Why should a recruit consider your West Valley program to be their first and best choice?

"We have the best support system - trainers, counselors, a Sports Information Director. We have year-round training conducted by a a coach with a proven track record. This is a program on a quick ascent to NorCal dominance."

What do you like best about working at West Valley?

"The College is extremely supportive of all the athletic teams. From our Athletic Director to our trainers to our counselors and our SID, it is motivating to work at a college that hires such passionate professionals. The culture and camaraderie in the athletic department is inspiring."

In one sentence, describe what you expect from your players.

"Passionate, relentless pursuit of excellence both on the court and in the classroom."

In one sentence, describe your coaching style.

"I encourage confidence and belief in my student athletes and their ability to develop and succeed."

Who are your major influences in life and in sports?

"My family has been a huge influence. They fostered an environment that allowed me to chase my athletic dreams. I grew up playing all sports and, in elementary school, I thought I would play division one basketball. My growth on the tennis court is a direct result of playing competitive team sports my entire life. I've been lucky to play for many coaches who have been able to push and challenge me to grow and succeed on the court."

When a player graduates from West Valley, what do you want them to take with them from their experinces on your team?

"When players graduate from WVC, they will leave with leadership skills that will carry them through the rest of their athletic and academic career. I also want them to leave with the pride of being a Viking."

Coach Hickey Year-By-Year at West Valley: