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University High School players and coaches after winning the CIF title. (Photo courtesy University tennis).
Last Friday night, University High School boys tennis team added another chapter to its storied history by winning a record 16th CIF Southern Section title.
Under the lights of the University of Redlands Tennis Center, the Trojans defeated Harvard-Westlake 10-8 to claim the CIF Open Division championship.
The victory marked University’s fourth straight CIF Open Division title and fifth in the last six years.
Now, the Trojans prepare for a trek toward a Southern California Championship. It will meet Buchanan High School in the first round of regional play on Friday.
The squad is headlined by a strong mix of youth and experienced talent that’s gelled throughout the season to create a tight-knit group.
“We had a lot of young boys who last year were freshmen who are now sophomores, so the team is younger overall,” Coach John Kessler said. “It’s a good mix of sophomores and seniors. Sometimes that’s not always easy to get those two to work together, so I’m really happy with the way the younger players and older players have merged together.”
Throughout its CIF Open Division playoff run, University received major contributions from its underclassmen. It’s a batch that’s had to swallow its lumps against stiff competition in the past before blossoming into the players they are today.
“Last year, we had two freshmen in a playoff match and the moment was too big for them,” Kessler said. “They did not perform well, and they came back this year and worked really hard and embraced the pressure.”
The Trojans’ most impactful sophomore is Rishvanth Krishna, who, as the team’s top singles player, swept all three sets at first singles against Harvard-Westlake.
Coined with the nickname “Ice” by some of the coaches on Uni’s staff, Krishna maintains a high level of composure that allows him to rise above his competition in the critical junctures of a match.
“For someone at that age to be so calm and collected is rare,” Kessler said about Krishna. “Even with all the good players we’ve had, it’s rare to be that calm and cool on the court in the face of pressure and adversity.”
Of course, this composure partly stems from working with an experienced coaching staff. It’s a group that has set a high standard at Univeristy with Kessler at the helm.
However, this season, he leaned on his staff even more than usual. While Kessler handled some health matters, his assistant coaches stepped up.
“Much of the credit for this CIF title, and this season, goes to my Assistant Head Coach, John Mano and Assistant coaches Martin Wallwork and Larry Scalia,” Kessler said. “They did a magnificent job holding down the fort as I recovered from back surgery.”
University didn’t skip a beat, rolling through league play and once again reaching the mountain top in the postseason as one of the nation’s top high school tennis teams.
With 16 CIF titles, the Trojans have built a consistent winner at a school not traditionally known for its athletics. Despite competing against private institutions, University, a public school, continues to dominate against the top teams in Southern California.
For Kessler, the success is a product of contributions made by many individuals who have helped build the dynasty that University is today.
“For us to be doing what we’re doing as a public school is off the charts incredible,” Kessler said. “You have to have good players to do what we’re doing, and we’ve been very fortunate to have good players. But I also think we have a great coaching staff. I think we have great support. And we have this allure that people want to come to Uni and participate in this program.”