“I explained to the girls that their job is to compete for a spot on this team and my job is to put together the best team possible. I have to put the best players that I have on the court.”
At Burroughs, Coach Roy Bernhardt didn’t have to make any such decisions. The Indians return all but one of their players from a year ago, and most of the team’s lineup is pretty much set.
“Really, the only girl we lost from last year was Sara Aguilar, who graduated,” said Bernhardt of the former singles player. “Other than that, the whole team is back.
“I think we have some good players, and they are all good girls.”
With the season set to start in less than two weeks, here is how the teams are shaping up:
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Last season under Bernhardt, the Indians (7-8) finished fourth in their first season in the Pacific League. The team earned the final league postseason spot and was defeated in a CIF Southern Section Division II wild-card match against Viewpoint, 14-4.
Burroughs also continued its dominance against cross-town rival Burbank, earning two 13-5 league wins. The Indians have captured four straight against the Bulldogs, sweeping the past two seasons.
“I’m hoping that we’ve improved from last year,” Bernhardt said. “I would like for us to be able to get back to the playoffs.”
Burroughs has made two straight trips to the postseason, finishing second in the Foothill League in 2005.
Returning to head the team is four-year standout Melanie Irinco, a senior. The No. 1 singles player comes from a talented tennis family, as her older sister, Christina, helped the Indians win league titles in the 1990s and her other sister, Veronica, was a standout at Burbank.
“She has been a leader for us all of her years,” Bernhardt said of Irinco. “But she isn’t one of those leaders who goes out there and screams at other players.
