Five out of 10 players on Occidental’s women’s tennis team are first-year students — they also bring in the majority of the team’s victories. In a matchup against Hope International University Feb. 10, Seb Kombo (first year) and Sydney Sasaki (first year) won an 8-6 victory in doubles. Elina Shalaev (first year) and Kristina Lee (first year) also delivered an 8-1 win. As the singles matches started, the first-year class went undefeated, with impressive performances by Lee (6-4, 6-0), Shalaev (7-5, 6-3) and Mia Malone (first year) (6-3, 6-4).
Coach Stephen Perkins ’13, who started coaching at Occidental in 2022, came from coaching tennis at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and has notable accolades as the Southern California Inter-Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) named him Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year in his first year of coaching at Occidental.
Lee and Shalaev are at the number one and two spots on the team, respectively. Both were in the women’s 2023 recruiting class, which Tennis Recruiting ranked the 20th best recruiting class in DIII tennis in 2023 out of over 300 DIII tennis teams in the country.
“It’s definitely really nerve-wracking to have played the first spot on the lineup in our first official match,” Lee said. “But it was also exciting because I wasn’t expecting to play the first lineup last weekend.”
Shalaev said that being in the top of the lineup has its pressure but agreed that it pushes her as a player.
“It feels very good to be high on the lineup and very exciting as a freshman to have that responsibility,” Shalaev said. “It does come with a little pressure because it means as a first year you really have to step up sometimes, but it’s important to learn how to deal with that pressure as an individual and a tennis player.”
Kombo said her experience so far has been great and that the team has a dedicated commitment.
“We are a pretty close-knit team,” Kombo said. “The coaches are very supportive and encouraging us to put our best foot forward every practice, every lift and every match.”
According to Kombo, the team’s dynamic is friendly but that does not stop them from working hard.
“The dynamic on the team is very energetic. We laugh a lot, and we have some solid comedians,” Kombo said. “But when it’s time to lock in, we do.”
Lee said the team dynamic is supportive and has been a big factor in her enjoyment of the Oxy experience.
“We’re there for each other on and off the court,” Lee said. “It’s definitely comforting to know that your teammates are there to support you even outside of tennis.”
Shalaev said that mutual motivation helps the team dynamic and pushes them to grow as friends.
“[Coach Perkins] did such a great job recruiting by finding a group of people that have specific strengths that can all mesh together really well,” Shalaev said. “Having so many fresh new faces can help motivate the whole team, and I feel like everyone is really motivated to do well early on.”
Lee said that it was exciting to know there was a large number of other first years joining her on the team because she felt like she was joining a lot of players who were in the same boat as her. Shalaev said that the high performance of first years on the team is something that excites her for the future of the team.
Perkins said he thinks the first-year class helps add something special to the team as a whole and that he is very confident about this year’s season and the team’s trajectory for the next four years.
“The first-year players are all really good athletes and pick up things quickly,” Perkins said. “They compete really hard on the court which is infectious and makes the whole team stronger. They will be able to really grow together over the next four years and further establish a strong culture amongst the Oxy women’s tennis team.”
Kombo said she thinks having such a young team is a good start to building a strong community later on.
“We are of the future of the program, and I feel honored to be a part of it,” Kombo said. “Together, we make a large impact on the team.”
Lee said she agreed that the team’s culture helps build momentum for a competitive season.
“I’m excited for the rest of the season,” Lee said. “We have some solid schools in our conference and I’m optimistic for us to do well this year.”
Contact Eliana Joftus at joftus@oxy.edu
