In their Feb. 9 season opener, Sophia Siu (junior) helped Occidental’s softball team to a 12-3 victory over La Sierra. Siu, who plays second base, went 3-4 batting with three RBIs.
Siu said she primarily credits her success to the friendship and camaraderie her team upholds.
“We just hang out with each other every day, we have every meal together and all that,” Siu said. “So I feel like being able to play with your closest friends and just to hang out with them every day, practice with them every day, it makes softball so much more fun.”
According to Siu, she feels as though she is stepping into a bigger leadership role as a junior, which she feels had been missing during her time as an underclassman.
“I would say it was a little interesting, because my freshman year we didn’t have any seniors, so it was just our junior class that was the upperclassmen,” Siu said. “It didn’t seem like there was as much [of a] leadership role. So now becoming […] that role, I kind of feel like I am doing what I wanted to see.”
According to teammate Alysha Wagner (junior), Siu has been injured for the first part of the past two softball seasons but has come back this season stronger than ever.
“She’s like a wall,” Wagner said “She’s really commanding the field, and I feel like she really takes initiative as well.”
Siu and Wagner both attribute their personal success to their close relationship, and Wagner said both her and Siu like to challenge each other on and off the field.
“Being able to be with one of your closest friends on the field is really nice, because we’re more intuitive to each other’s emotions,” Siu said.
Siu said she is excited to see the team grow throughout their long season, which lasts until May.
“I think I just want to see us improve from last year,” Siu said. “And I think that all we can really ask for is just to get better, and I think we will.”
Dhruv Verma (sophomore) at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 12, 2025. Graham Jewett/The OccidentalDhruv VermaDhruv Verma (sophomore) went undefeated in his tennis matches Feb. 8. In Occidental’s match against Hope International, Verma and Brett Miller (senior) went 6-1 in doubles. Later, Verma won his singles match against Jessup in overtime, 14-12.
Verma said that his strong relationship with Miller, his doubles partner, helped lead the duo to their win.
“Brett is the oldest guy on the team,” Verma said. “He’s a senior, and I was the only freshman last year, so he kind of mentored me a little bit and helped me get used to playing tight matches.”
Occidental swept Jessup in a 7-0 victory, but fell to Hope International 5-2.
Verma said that despite their loss, the Tigers worked to stay positive.
“I feel like we were just getting started,” Verma said. “We lost our first match, [which was a] real bummer. We realized our energy was really low, and we came stronger in the second match.”
Verma won his match against Jessup in overtime.
“I was [the] last match on, so having my whole team be next to me on the court and just screaming and constantly motivating me, I think just really helped me get that win,” Verma said.
Men’s tennis head coach, Stephen Perkins said via email that Verma performs well under pressure.
“In his singles match, he was down big in the deciding tiebreaker but battled back and never gave up,” Perkins said via email. “Dhruv gets up for the big matches and embraces those opportunities.”
Verma, an international student from India, said coming to Occidental has been a big change, but a positive experience.
“I grew up in India, but I’ve been playing tennis all over the world since I was a kid,” Verma said. “I feel like coming to the U.S. and playing in a college tennis environment is completely different.”
The tennis team will be heading to San Diego Feb. 27 to compete in the Pacific Coast doubles tournament.
Contact Abigail Montopoli at montopoli@oxy.edu.
