The slice of a serve, the gush of air as a tennis ball flies past opponents, and the cheer of supporters are all felt when Senior Trinity Dewey, star tennis player and captain for the Girls Varsity Tennis Team, is playing a match.

   “Watch out if you play Dewey on the courts. Her serves and ground strokes are insanely powerful,” said Dewey’s doubles partner Junior Maria Lapikova.

   Tennis Coach Justin Nguyen said, “Her aggressive play style and volleys will often scare the opponents, and a lot of them will play double back (both at the baseline) because they’re afraid of her at the net.”

   Dewey has been playing tennis for five years now and holds a Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) of 2.97. She joined the tennis team her freshman year, being on varsity three years. She holds the title of League Doubles Champion with Lapikova and the team won the 2021-2022 CIF Championship.

   Finding a sport you love to play and can see yourself improving on is not always easy. Sometimes it takes a few tries. Dewey said, “After trying multiple sports, none of them ever caught my attention until I tried tennis.”

   Many people get into the situation of wanting to play a sport but do not know what to play. If playing tennis interests you, Dewey has a tip: “Form is the most important thing and once you get the basics down you can start to improve and add power.”

   Apart from her tennis achievements, Dewey is also a triathlete, playing varsity basketball as well as track, but she never stops training for tennis, even during other sport seasons.  Nguyen said, “Trinity is an amazing player whose dedication can easily be seen on the court.”

   Academically, Dewey also challenges herself, taking multiple Advanced Placement classes, Honors, and college classes. And on top of all that, she also manages to balance having a job.

   Dewey’s teammates sincerely look up to her. Lapikova said, “I feel very lucky to have Trinity as not only my doubles partner, but also as a great friend.”

   Clearly, Dewey agrees. She said, “My favorite part of playing tennis is the synergy of playing with my doubles partner Maria.”

   Dewey deems her coaches and team as her biggest motivators. “They always push me to play my very best,” she said.

   These feelings are mutual, as Ngyuen said, “I am honored to have Trinity on the team, and am proud of her growth as a captain this year.”

   Varsity Tennis Teammate Junior Emilia Ghandour has the highest of praise for Dewey. She said, “Trinity is an exceptional doubles player. She has a really impressive slice serve that is hard to achieve and even more difficult for the other team to return.” Ghandour added, “I view Trinity as a role model. One day, I would love to be able to play the way that she does.”   Dewey’s favorite match played has to be the nail-baiting League Tournament Finals, where she and Lapikova emerged victorious. She said, “We beat the previous League Champions in a tiebreaker. I’m looking forward to playing them again later in the season.” Hopefully, they once again take the title.

   Regarding the future, Dewey said, “After high school I don’t really see myself playing professionally but I hope to still play as a hobby.”

   Lapikova said, “I admire Trinity for her dedication, determination, and perseverance.” Demonstrating these values and more, Dewey is a very deserving Female Athlete of the Month.