On Friday, April 30, the East Bay Area’s top high school tennis players competed in this year’s EBAL tournament.

There are usually separate girls and boys championships, each hosted at a country club and officiated by United States Tennis Association representatives.

Participating schools select their most competitive athletes to battle it out for the title of EBAL Champion. The winning singles player and doubles team then go on to represent the EBAL League in the North Coast Sectional (NCS) Championships. 

This year, however, there were no NCS Championships because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There was no official EBAL championship either. 

“This wasn’t an official EBAL tournament. We did it at San Ramon Valley and Monte Vista, and we did it in a much faster way. A lot of things were condensed. The boys and girls did it on the same days. It was more casual, but we thought, regardless of how casual it would be, it would be nice for the top athletes to play each other. It gave the stronger players the opportunity to play the other strong players that they didn’t get to compete with during the season,” said Claire Chinn, AV Girls Tennis Coach.

The coaches of San Ramon Valley and Monte Vista High School, Frank Haswell and Rich Favreau, spoke to the EBAL commissioners and got permission to organize the event themselves.

“I am extremely grateful that we were able to have the tournament this year because it’s always fun getting together with all the schools in the league and bonding with everyone while also competing. It’s also always so fun to cheer on my teammates and make lasting memories doing the sport that I love,” said Amanda Wang (‘21). 

Many athletes (the seniors, especially) looked forward to this competition and were eager to play even in an informal setting.

“Being able to play this season was already an amazing opportunity especially because I didn’t know whether we would be permitted to play and what not due to Covid.  And being able to finally compete in a championship certainly was one of the top highlights of the season,” said Brett Miller (‘21). 

Varsity Singles player, Brett Miller, took the title at the EBAL Championship this year, cementing his place as the number one tennis player in the Boys Single Division. A 3 year Varsity player for Amador, Brett Miller has consistently performed as one of the best players on the team. This year’s win only reflects that.  

“Taking the win this year definitely felt amazing, considering the fact that there was stiff competition throughout the tournament. I was excited to be able to take the win. This tournament was very special, and finally being able to face off against old friends from competing teams was not only fulfilling, but also an enjoyable experience,” said Miller (‘21).

Amador was also recognized in the girls division. Montana Parkinson-Lubold finished her first season of high school tennis as the number one player in the league. Despite being the youngest in the competition, she showed to be the strongest player in the girls singles category.

“It is really cool that I was able to win as a freshman, and I am really looking forward to next season where we would be able to play all of the schools in our league,” said Montana Parkinson-Lubold (‘24).

The Amador teams proved their skill and finesse with top placements on both the boys and girls side of the tournament. With a successful showings at the EBAL Championship, the teams were able to have a great close to the end of an unprecedented season.