The Vaqueros women’s tennis team lost to College of the Sequoias  7-2 on Saturday, Feb. 8, at Pershing Park.

Freshman Teresa Downey won her doubles and singles match in convincing fashion but it wasn’t enough as the Vaqueros fell to 0-2 on the season.

Head coach Lance Kronberg said he has faith in his young team and they are moving in the right direction.

“Big improvement today in how the players are competing and how they’re playing,” Kronberg said.

Gloomy clouds hung over the courts as three doubles matches kicked off the day. Downey and teammate Monica Kunz shut out their opponents 7-0 winning the first set and later won the match.

Kunz was happy with the win, but said the game requires more than abrupt swings and swift serves.

“Tennis is a mental challenge too; its not just physical,” Kunz said.

In her singles match, Kunz and her opponent were tied after two sets, forcing a deciding third set to determine a winner.  After a grueling hour and a half of play, Kunz lost 6-2.

Downey’s fast pace and hard volleys made for a quick game as she defeated her opponent 6-0 and 6-1.

Downey said her goal for the season was to gain more experience as a player, which is something the team will focus on as well.

“All these players are new players,” Kronberg said. “We’re just seeing what we can do.”

Kronberg was optimistic after the loss saying that the team performed better than they had in their first match earlier in the week. He said it is important to keep the game simple for the time being and continue to progress.

“We would like to make playoffs,” Kronberg said. “But getting the team to come together and improve in every area, that’s what we are shooting for.”

The next home match for the Vaqueros is against Santa Monica College at 2 p.m. on Feb. 18.