Harker High School Girls' Tennis Team Finishes Historic Run Winning CIF NorCal Championship

 

USTA NorCal extends a big congratulations to the Harker High School girls tennis team out of San Jose for completing a historic 2021 season, finishing undefeated in league play. They also earned their second consecutive Central Coast Section (CCS) championship and went on to win the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Northern California championship for the first time in the program’s history. 

 

Coached by brothers John Fruttero and JP Fruttero, the team (see full roster below) asserted their dominance all season and had a special feeling from the start.

 

“It was a great culmination of our team over the last five years and how much we have developed,” JP Fruttero shared. “We felt we could see this coming and see a special group coming that made the extra effort to push forward. This season solidified that feeling, and we had some great accomplishments and created history doing things that have never been done.”

 

And what a mark they made. 

 

Led by five-star recruits and top-ranked players Natasha Rajaram, Sophie Hernandez, and Emily Novikov, who are all regular fixtures on the national and NorCal circuits, the team completed the season this year with an overall record of 21-1 and two title wins to make them one of the best teams in the nation at the end of the season.

 

“We don’t talk about winning, but focus more on the physical and mental engagement and make sure they are being challenged daily to be the best they can be regardless of winning or losing,” John Fruttero said. “This season is a testament to their hard work and commitment to high school tennis, which is not always common.”

 

Leveraging their long-time tennis experience from being on the tour, the Fruttero brothers said they prepared the team this year the same way they do each year — by committing each practice to match play and teaching lessons to build team spirit and character. As part of this approach, the team goes through three lessons they learned that can help them both on and off the court after every match.  

 

Senior Anishka Raina said this went a long way in helping the team this year, and that “the three lessons after each match really helped them move forward and focus on the next match.”

 

One of the things that both the coaches and players said helped their historic run this season was competing at a San Diego invitational outside of their home territory and getting the chance to face different players.

 

Although the team suffered its only loss of the season at the invitational, they had impressive wins against several SoCal powerhouse teams, including Westlake; often considered No. 1 in the nation, Westlake went on to become the 2021 CIF Southern California champions.

 

But it wasn’t just the tough competition that helped them cement their winning season, it was also the bonds they built traveling and spending time together.

 

“We traveled outside of NorCal for the first time to compete in the San Diego invitational, and I think the bonds created during this trip helped the girls feel a part of something special,” John Fruttero shared. “This allowed them to take every opportunity to do things together as a team such as eating, shopping, and celebrating after matches. I think this was a big part of it and building block for our success.”

 

Junior Sara Wan also echoed this sentiment. “When we were playing in our CIF NorCal finals, one of our teammates was injured but she still came to the finals to support us,” she said. “I think that really defined our team as very supportive, heartwarming, and really shows our connection.”

 

And it was partly that camaraderie that helped them reach the finals of CCS and defeat their rivals Menlo, beating them 6-1, to win the championship for the second straight title. 

 

CCS was a significant moment for the team, as the girls’ victory secured their advancement to compete in the CIF Northern California Championships.

 

Junior Emily Novikov shared that there were so many people from the Harker community that came to cheer at the CCS finals that it created an energy for the team and showed this was something special.

 

“This was a big moment for us, as a lot of our friends came and there was a lot of support from different groups at Harker. It especially helped against our rivals,” Novikov added.

 

Building off the momentum of CCS, the team was ready to take on the challenge of competing at the CIF NorCal Championships, where they went head-to-head again with Menlo, the defending champions. They beat them 5-2 for the fourth time this season to earn the title and a sixth consecutive win since breaking a 28-year streak against Menlo last year.

 

And with the ultimate title earned for high school tennis in the books, it was a true team effort the entire way.

 

“We value giving everybody a chance to play, which we did throughout the season, as well as during CCS and CIF NorCal Championships,” the Fruttero brothers both said. “It’s about giving them each a chance to participate and feel like they are part of the team, part of something bigger for their school, and create lasting memories. They all pushed so hard to achieve everything they do individually and as a group, and this year proved that the girls belong in the conversation to be at the top of their sport in the country.”

 

If you want to hear more on their historic journey, check out the Instagram live we did with several of the Harker players here.

 

Harker School Team Roster:

  • Natasha Rajaram (Soph): Ranking NorCal 16’s-#1…18’s-#4…National 16’s #26; 22-8 last yr; 5 star

  • Sophie Hernandez (Soph): Ranking NorCal 16’s-#4…18’s-#8…National 16’s #58; 20-10 record last yr; 5 star

  • Emily Novikov (Jr): Ranking NorCal 16’s-#8…18’s-#10…National 16’s #103; 19-12 in the last yr. national: 71; 5 star

  • Rachel Hernandez (Soph): Ranking NorCal 16’s-#38 National 14’s #298; 12-18 record last year. 3 Star

  • Audrey Feng (Fr): Ranking NorCal 14’s-#22…18’s-#40…National 14’s #304; 18-12 last year. 3 star

  • Olivia Guo (Fr): Ranking NorCal 14’s-#43…18’s-#130…National 14’s #563; 19-11; 3 Star

  • Anushka Mehrotra (Jr)

  • Sara Wan (Jr)

  • Anishka Raina (Sen)

  • Medini Halepete (Soph)