Julia Pearson doesn’t lack for confidence. The No. 1 player for the San Benito High girls tennis team also plans on trying out for the lacrosse team in the spring. That means she’ll have to be able to check bigger and stronger boys in a game that packs plenty of brute force.
“I’d like to try it knowing I have the physical capabilities,” she said. “I’ve got pretty good hand-eye coordination, and I’m fast.”
On the tennis court, the sophomore relies on her forehand and serve to win points from the baseline. Pearson played No. 3 singles last season, winning all but two of her matches. However, the top position is a big step up from the three spot, and Pearson has adjusted her goals accordingly from a win-loss perspective.
No matter the result, Pearson plans on improving her weaknesses.
“I’m going to try to improve every single match,” she said. “I definitely need to improve on my backhand. This will be a transition year playing the top spot. You know what they say—plan for the worst but hope for the best. I don’t expect to win nearly as much as last year because it’s a whole different ballgame playing No. 3 to playing No. 1.”
Balers coach Ed Cecena doesn’t have to worry about the 5-foot-5 Pearson losing her bravado even if she endures a string of losses.
“I’m sure you know by the interview she’s not going to lose confidence in her game,” said Cecena, who is the longest tenured varsity head coach now in his 14th season with the girls tennis team.
Even though San Benito returns just three starters from last year’s group, Cecena still expects his players to compete well and win some matches along the way.
The Balers have been remarkably consistent over the years, playing solid tennis no matter the quality of their talent level. Junior Vivian Hernandez and sophomore Jessica Parga played No. 2 and 3 singles, respectively, in a 7-0 loss to a tough Aptos team Monday.
“Vivian and Jessica are coming along really well,” Cecena said. “Vivian played mostly doubles last year, but her game is developing nicely. She’s starting to stroke the ball really well along with learning the nuances of the game. Jessica probably has the best focus on the team, and that’s why she’s improved so quickly. Both Vivian and Jessica are hard workers in practice, and they’ll continue to get better.”
Cecena also expects to receive contributions from junior Zoe Martinez and sophomore Allison Okamoto. The longtime San Benito coach hopes to get senior Heidi Bribiesca back in early October. Bribiesca would make an immediate impact on the team, as she would occupy one of the top three singles positions.
Cecena will probably need to do a lot of mixing and matching to find the right doubles combinations, as the majority of the doubles players were on the junior varsity squad a year ago.
“We’ll take our lumps against some of the better teams like Aptos, but hopefully we’ll learn from our losses,” Cecena said.
Pearson has been playing tennis since she was 4 years old, as her mom put her in private lessons at Ridgemark. However, from last December to May Pearson didn’t pick up a racket because her parents wanted her to focus on academics.
“Those months not being able to play were terrible,” she said.
That’s how much Pearson loves the game, and she’s determined to be proficient on the court and in the classroom in the years ahead. In the winter, Pearson plans on playing soccer. In the spring, of course, it’s on to lacrosse. As an eighth grader, Pearson competed on Rancho San Justo’s wrestling team.
So why isn’t Pearson intimidated by the boys? Growing up she wrestled—albeit, not successfully—against her older brother Andrew, who has a black belt in karate.
“He’s bigger than me so he could sit on me,” Pearson said. “That’s usually how it works even today.”
For Pearson, backing down from a challenge isn’t an option.
