Playing tennis at Española Valley High School is something of a family affair.
Sure, there are familial lines stretched throughout the program, but it goes deeper than that.
“It’s a great environment,” senior Christopher Gaytan said of the team. “Every year, we have the same, friendly group of boys and girls so it’s more like a family. It’s been pretty good so far.”
The Sundevils have been able to parlay that atmosphere into success on the court as the girls reached the semifinals last season and the boys reached the quarters in the ultra-competitive Class 1A-4A that includes powerhouses Albuquerque Academy, Los Alamos and Robertson.
Girls
Longtime coach Nancy Suazo is looking to build off of last season’s success, expecting more of the same this year.
“We lost three players last year, but I have a good group returning,” she said. “They are really good players so we are still very strong.”
The squad is led by the coach’s daughter, Olivia Suazo, and fellow senior Kaydence Arrey. Playing as a pair, they reached the semifinals of the individual doubles championships before losing a tough match to an Academy duo.
“I think we can be as successful as we were last year or perhaps be even a little bit more,” Nancy Suazo said. “It depends on the draws at state and how well everybody comes out, but I expect the same performances as last year and hopefully push it a little further.”
An interesting dynamic about the team is that it’s pulled players from around the region. For instance, Amelia Davis-Martinez attends Taos Academy and Isabella Archuleta attends McCurdy, but because neither school offers tennis, they are eligible to play at Española.
“These girls have been around each other for a long time,” Nancy Suazo said. “So the team is pretty close together. They do team bonding and summer activities together.”
Seniors Santana Martinez and Keila Michelle Aguirre round out what is expected to be the top group.
Martinez is looking forward to her first chance at really making an impact with the team.
“Going into the season, I feel confident because I’ve been around this team and coaching staff for such a long time,” she said. “There’s such good energy walking onto the courts. We’re going to make it because we know how to play our game, the way we play it.”
Being a Sundevil tennis player is a remarkable experience, she added.
“It’s like an honor,” Martinez said. “Everyone on this team are amazing teammates and we have amazing coaches. A lot of athletes don’t look forward to practice but I’m always looking forward to it at the end of my day because it’s such a positive vibe.”
Boys
On the boys side of things, Nancy Suazo again makes use of non-traditional resources to find ways to build the team, tapping the Española football players, like kicker Andres Valencia and linebacker Carter Wilder, the son of former Sundevils coach Tylon Wilder. Fellow football players Matthew Martinez, Cru Wilder and Zach Montoya are also a part of the squad.
Nancy Suazo, who helps the football program behind the scenes, said the players from the gridiron bring a different kind of mindset to the court.
“It’s been awesome to have them out there,” she said. “Coach Wilder runs a very disciplined program and I look to use all my resources. I learned different ways to do things. And they bring in a different, disciplined culture. A team mentality versus an individual mentality, which helps quite a bit.”
In terms of the primary players, los tres amigos, seniors Gaytan, Owen Silva-Vigil and Damian Gallegos will push the team’s efforts, Nancy Suazo said,
“They are fierce competitors since they’ve been in school,” she said. “They’ve honed in on the skills of tennis. They’re extremely athletic and have been able to pick up the nuances of tennis. I’m very grateful for their athleticism.”
Gaytan follows in his cousin, Ian Gaytan’s footsteps, who reached the quarterfinals of the individual singles championships. And Silva is also a cousin so that family connection makes the Sundevils strong.
“Tennis, it means a lot to me,” Christopher Gaytan said. “Ian was somebody I looked up to in tennis and my sister has had an impact on me. I have everybody teaching me that it’s not just being a part of a team, but it’s a family.”
As freshmen, Christopher Gaytan and Silva quickly connected with Gallegos.
“It’s been the three of us ever since,” Christopher Gaytan said.
And that leads to feelings that this year’s group could be special as they make a final run.
“My expectations this year are to advance as far as we can,” Christopher Gaytan said. “We did lose quite a lot of seniors last year, but our team’s building for what we have now, and the private lessons we’ve all been taking and those we’re doing as a group, I feel us improving in many ways. I just hope we advance to the best we can.”