Tam Girls Tennis Squad Caps Perfect MCAL Season, Heads to Playoffs

The girls tennis team marched to an undefeated Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) season this week, finishing 14-0 (20-1 overall) after topping Redwood (7-2) on Tuesday and San Rafael (9-0) Thursday.

Tam coach Bill Washauer said he was proud of his team but that it was vital for his players to remember there’s still plenty of work to do, with MCAL playoffs kicking off next week with the North Coast Section (NCS) tourney to follow.

Behind a deep roster of experienced players, particularly juniors Chelsea Hayashi and Hillary Fazekas, Tam’s No. 1 and No. 2 singles players who , Tam carved up its MCAL competition. That , which won the MCAL title last year but has missed a few players who returned but who haven’t been available for parts of this season.

“We have a very solid team,” Washauer said. “We don’t have any superstars, but we’re solid and pretty deep.”

That depth has produced barely a bump in the road, with few tight matches since the Red-tailed Hawks went the Girls Tennis Classic in Clovis, Calif., in early September, coming away with the consolation title there.

 “Since [then], we haven’t yet had a match that has told us how good we are,” Washauer said. “It really has been that kind of a year. We haven’t had the match that has fully tested us yet.”

That could change in short order.

The NCS divides its girls tennis postseason tourneys into two divisions based on enrollment. Schools with an enrollment above 1,250 are in Division I. Tam’s enrollment is just below 1,200, but because of the strength of Tam’s squad this season and in the interest of serving up a big challenge to his team, Washauer asked Tam Athletic Director Christina Amoroso to petition the NCS to move Tam to Division I this year.

That request was granted.

“Petitioning up was the right thing to do,” Washauer said. “I’m one for playing the best people you can possibly compete against. You learn more and it’s more meaningful. I’m looking forward to it. These girls deserve to play on a bigger stage.”

Tam is set to host an MCAL semifinal playoff game Tuesday.