Belen Eagles eyeing district tennis titles; having fun

BELEN —It would be rather cheesy to say the Belen tennis team is off to a “smashing” start, but that sums it up.

The BHS girls and boys are both 4-1 after sweeping the competition in the Belen Quad last week.

“Our goal this year is to try and win a district title, for both boys and girls,” said Chrissy Cordova, who returns as head coach after a year off.

The Eagles started the season in the Española Tournament, which was hindered by poor weather.

Back home, under good conditions, the BHS boys defeated both Hope and Moriarty 7-2, while shutting out Bernalillo 9-0.

Luke Austin and Cole Rodriguez, who is just back from the swim team, play No. 1 and No. 2 singles, respectively. The pair also teams up for doubles.

“They are really powerful players,” said Cordova.

“Last year was a beginning year for most of them,” Cordova said of an inexperienced boys’ team. “But this year, they came back strong.”

The girls also dominated the quad with victories over Hope, 9-0, Moriarty, 5-4, and 9-0 against Bernalillo.

Ava Fragua and Gabby Jaramillo, both juniors, have been on the roster since eighth grade and are one and two in singles while forming a doubles team that qualified for state last year.

“They support the girls really well, teaching if they need a little help with something,” Cordova said of Fragua and Jaramillo.

“Most of them started practicing in the fall,” Cordova said of the combined team. “We’re really going in with a lot of aggression. They just want to play.”

Cordova said the players are having a fun time.

“It puts a smile on my face — I’m happy to be back,” she said.