When one looks back on the West Valley tennis team's 2022 campaign, one needs look no further than the final Coast Conference standings. Coach Lauren 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, West Valley posted its finest record since resurecting the program in 2018 after a three-decade absence. West Valley went 1-14 in 2018 and, in 2022, 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.
"A huge reason for our success this year was our comradery and depth," said Hickey. "Our team was one of the deepest in NorCal. We were competitive and successful at every line for singles and doubles."
Prokter didn't lose a Coast singles match, going 14-1 overall and recording an epic 4-6, 6-4, 10-6 win over UC Santa Cruz's Natalie Springer on Feb. 25. She teamed with Vossen to go 14-4 during the regular season. Vossen took on WVC opponent's top singles player each match, including three of the state's best in Olmos, Cañada's Zuzanna Dziewiecka and Monterey Peninsula's Makayla Chassion, and finished 8-5 overall. Aynaci and Hu were often West Valley's Doubles 2 line and were 7-0 on their way to their NorCal and state tournament berths.
The Vikings swept Coast foes Cabrillo, City College of San Francisco and Mission, losing only to Cañada and Chabot. They started a four-match March winning streak with a 6-3 win at perrenial SoCal powerhouse College of the Desert at Indian Wells, becoming the only team besides eventual state champion El Camino to knock off the Roadrunners.
Prokter and Vossen provided a preview of things to come when they won the ITA NorCal title and earned a berth in the ITA Nationals in Georgia in October.
"Another reason for our success were all the tournaments and hard work from our fall season," Hickey said. "We challenged ourselves to play against four-year colleges and at regional and national tournaments, which helped motivate us for spring. When Abby and Seraphina competed in Georgia, they came back focused and driven."
Vossen will continue her playing and academic career at Portland's Lewis & Clark College, but most of Hickey's Vikings will return for 2022-23. Other team members contributing to the success of 2022 were Brynn McKenzie, Julia Ocher, Natasha Sackx and Tal Volinsky.
"2022 was one of my favorite years to date." Hickey concluded. "It was special to watch the success of our program and how far we've come in four short years. We have established a culture on and off the court that each player can contribute to and be successful."
