On November 12th, 2025, the El Capitan girls tennis team finished a long season that stretched from workouts in the summer to playoff season in the fall, and they did it in a manner most befitting of the Gauchos, by winning the section championship for the first time in school history. Their months of work won them a CCC title, a Sac-Joaquin Section championship, and a large list of conference honors and awards, making the 2025 season a defining moment in the brief history of girls tennis at El Capitan High School.
The push toward this year’s Championship began as soon as the last season ended. In 2024, El Capitan lost the CCC title to Merced High by a score of 5-4. In the postseason, they fell in the section semifinals to River Valley High by that same score. The returning players carried that feeling of loss with them into the offseason, determined to make sure that such disappointment didn’t creep into their season in 2025.
Before school ended last May, Head Coach Jonathan McCorkell brought the team together to set up their goals: beat Merced High, win the CCC, and win the section championship. He believed the team could reach those goals and wanted the girls to approach the summer with a purpose. In June, the team practiced four mornings a week, with scrimmages on Fridays. When July came, McCorkell gave the girls the entire month off. He believes high school athletes need breaks and time to enjoy their lives, and that rest helped the players return with better focus when the season began.
In August the pace changed. Practices moved to the afternoon during the hottest part of the day to prepare the girls for match conditions. Even with longer practices, McCorkell made sure the girls could still manage their academic and personal schedules. The team is filled with high achieving students who balance busy workloads, travel, internships, and competitions. Senior Kate Herr discussed the challenge of balancing tennis along with academics, knowing that this season could be a special one, “It was kind of hard because I would have to miss school for tennis or miss tennis for school, so it was a tough choice to make, but I knew that this year was going to be a good season, so I said, ‘okay, I’m going to miss school for this!’”
Assistant Coach Oliver Calos played an important role with the technical side of tennis. As a former number one player at El Capitan who later played in college, he led many of the drills and practice plans. McCorkell and Calos worked closely, and the girls responded well to both of their approaches. Gauchos Senior Amberly Her noted that the coaching at El Capitan is a big part of what makes the program stand out: “Definitely [Head Coach] McCorkell, even though he’s new… he’s very good at adapting to whatever kind of problems we’re having.”
A major shift came in August when freshman Lia Garcia Del Castillo joined the team. Her older sister Gabby Garcia was already an important player, and the coaches had heard that Lia was just as skilled. After a full evaluation, McCorkell saw her quickness and strength right away. She earned the top spot in the group, and her addition made the entire roster stronger. With Lia on board, the group felt complete. “Going into the season, we kind of already knew that this was probably going to be our best year because we knew that other teams had lost players and we still had a very strong team,” recalled Her as she discussed the Gauchos’ expectations for the season.
Once the season began, the team started winning immediately. El Capitan went 24-1 overall, and finished 10-0 in league play to win the CCC title. They carried that success into the postseason and won the Sac-Joaquin Section Championship. Although, the journey into the playoffs was not without its challenges. Her battled through an ankle injury throughout the season that threatened to derail her success. However, she was able to push through the pain, winning on senior night and her match in the section championship, which she refers to as her own personal highlight. El Capitan junior Ava Schneider discussed the pressure that came with battling for a section championship, “There was a lot of pressure on us. You know, the whole school knew that we were going to the championships, and we just really wanted to win.” That pressure created stress for Schneider, but it also created an opportunity for success which she considered the highlight of her season, “The highlight [of the season] was definitely winning at the end! Very much history in the making!”
Several players earned league honors. Lia Garcia earned CCC Most Valuable Player and CCC Singles Champion. Gabby Garcia earned All-League First Team Singles and finished as the CCC Singles runner up. Sarah Conrad earned All-League Second Team Singles. In doubles, Advaitaa Shyamprasad and Joann Kasipalli earned CCC Most Valuable Player Doubles Team. Kate Herr and Alomah Kouadio earned All-League First Team Doubles. Anisha Jain and Ava Schneider earned All-League Second Team doubles. Mikayla Santiago received the All-League Sportsmanship Award.
Looking back on the season, McCorkell said the girls were committed to their goals from the start and stayed consistent through the long months of work. He credited Coach Calos for guiding the technical development of the team and praised the players for handling both school and tennis with maturity.
So, what’s next for the El Capitan program? While many players acknowledge that the program is losing a lot of seniors and a lot of good players, they also believe that the bonding, training, and talent in the program will keep the team moving forward. Her noted the team can go as far as they are determined to go, stating, “So next year, I think it’s definitely possible, but they’re gonna have to work hard and definitely practice so they can try to win CCC.” Schneider, who is returning for her senior year in 2026, also believes with hard work and determination, the future looks bright. She commented, “I feel like the future is good. We are losing some seniors, but I think we still got it because there’s still some star players on there.” Whether or not those star players can repeat their success is not at the forefront of what Schneider is looking forward to next year. She’s looking forward to continuing to do what makes the program special to her, “I’m looking forward to just continue playing the same schools we’ve been playing and continue making friends.” The Gaucho tennis girls ended the year reaching every goal they set in May. They closed the season with a great victory and added a lasting moment to the program’s history.
- Photos provided by El Capitan tennis players. ↩︎
