The men’s tennis team is rolling through the competition, but its chances of achieving its goal of winning a league title have vanished.

Despite winning  two of its last three games to position itself near the top of the league standings, Cal (14-2) is a longshot to pass undefeated Monte Vista and win league.

The Grizzlies travel to Monte Vista on Friday. A win by the Mustangs would clinch a league title.

Cal beat Foothill 5-4 on April 2, and followed up that win with a 7-2 victory over De La Salle on April 3.

But Cal’s recent loss against Amador on March 31 probably ruined Cal’s chances at winning the title.

“Our loss to Amador likely knocked us out of contention for the EBAL title, although we technically could still win it,” said junior co-captain Kelvin Lee. 

The wins over Foothill and De La Salle did ensure that Cal will at least finish in second place in EBAL.

Despite losing 7-2 to Monte Vista on March 12, the team has played well.

“We made a couple of mental mistakes, we just need to refocus and do our best,” said Kelvin. “We have to repeat what we did in the first half, only this time beat Monte Vista.”

The Grizzlies knowMonte Vista is the only team standing between them and the title. Cal concludes its season on April 21 against Granada.

 The coaches believe the team’s main weakness is a tendency for singles players to drop close matches.

To help prevent this from happening, the coaches have put the players through simulated matches that focus on aspects of their game that they need to work on.

“As coaches, it is our job to put the best team forward for Cal High,” said co-coach Vivian Albano.

While it is necessary for the team to prepare for Monte Vista, they still need stay focused on the rest of their season.

Cal beat league rivals Livermore 9-0 on March 26, San Ramon 6-3 on March 24, Granada 8-1 on March 19 and De La Salle 8-1 on March 17. 

“That was an easy one,” Albano said of the Livermore match. “The expectation was to practice what they needed to practice and do things they normally wouldn’t do.”

Some of these things the team normally wouldn’t practice included shots like spin serves and drop shots on the baseline.

In the most recent San Ramon Valley match on March 24, Kelvin beat his opponent Craig Rothstein by a score of 7-6. Kelvin had lost to Craig the last time the two had played. 

The Grizzlies also dominated the Granada match, losing only one singles match and winning all their double matches.

“Our doubles have been performing well,” said senior co-captain Matt Pacheco.

The doubles teams have been among the team’s strengths this year. 

The captains think the team is pretty good overall from top to bottom and are pleased with the performances of freshmen Jonathan Stewart and Adhitya Mohan.

“I expected it because I knew the incoming freshmen,” said junior Allen Xu, the team’s top-ranked player. “They’re both really talented and they’re both really good additions to the team.”

Jonathan and Adhitya both practice several hours a day and have the experience of playing in tennis tournaments prior to joining the team. 

This has translated into their solid performances in the school matches. 

“At the beginning I was nervous and didn’t play too well, but now I’m getting more comfortable and playing better,” said Jonathan.