Seeing double
West Ranch’s McBride wins All-SCV girls tennis singles Player of the Year
West Ranch’s Jordyn McBride believes she knows exactly why she lost to Danielle Wilson in the CIF-Southern Section Round of 16.
“When I played Danielle Wilson,” McBride said, “I feel like she just had a few more balls than me. I feel like if I would’ve sliced her, it would’ve gone closer. That match was really good for me to play because it really inspired me to have a slice.”
Since that match, McBride has been working tirelessly on her ability to slice. She’s able to do it with one hand, but she’s determined to turn it into more of a weapon.
McBride’s drive to succeed, combined with her success this season, is why she’s The Signal’s 2017 All-SCV girls tennis singles player of the year.
She defeated Valencia’s Jennifer Shin for this season’s Foothill League, then became the first singles player in West Ranch tennis history to advance to the Round of 32 and after that, to the Round of 16.
The sophomore credits her work over the summer and increased focus on her backhand as the main reasons for her success this season.
“Last year I struggled with my backhand so much,” said McBride. “I couldn’t really get spin on it. Whenever a ball went to my backhand, I felt uncomfortable.”
McBride also has the added advantage of always having someone to practice with, as she belongs to a family full of tennis enthusiasts.
Her mom is the director of tennis at Paseo Club and her father is an avid player as well. She has an older brother who is a top boys tennis player in the Foothill League and a younger sister who will soon be competing for West Ranch, too.
“It’s really fun,” said McBride. “It’s really competitive. We‘re all competing with each other, but at the same time it’s still fun.”
While McBride was thrilled to hear she was named The Signal’s player of the year and is quick to say she’s proud of her accomplishments, but she says her best memories of this season were shared with her teammates.
“There was a big sisterhood and we have a lot of chemistry and it showed when we played,” said McBride. “Even with the doubles teams, you could tell we were friends. We just supported each other … I think that ultimately made us better as a team.”
Ashley Kua, Trinity Classical Academy
Kua competed as an independent this year, as the Knights don’t have a tennis program, but that was no obstacle to success.
She made it to the CIF-Southern Section Round of 16, where she lost to Yuke Perera of San Marcos of Santa Barbara 3-6, 6-7.
Jennifer Shin, Valencia
Shin returned to the court this year after taking a season off to focus on tournament play and school. Shin got somewhat overshadowed during regularseason play due to talent of teammates Amanda Tabanera and Carlotta Nonnis Marzano. But when it came to the Foothill League finals, and Tabanera and Nonnis Marzano doubled up, she shined and finished in second to McBride.
Shaira Busnawi, West Ranch
Like Shin, Busnawi sometimes lost out on the spotlight to a teammate in McBride. But she served an integral role in the Wildcats locking up their second consecutive Foothill League title. Busnawi lost out to Tabanera and Nonnis Marzano in West Ranch’s final match against Valencia, but finished third in the Foothill League finals by beating Valencia’s Brenna Whelan.