Aptos proved yet again it is queen of the hardcourt after wrapping up a sixth consecutive Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League girls tennis championship earlier this week.
The Mariners smoothly sailed to a sweeping 7-0 victory over visiting San Lorenzo Valley on Thursday afternoon while finishing with a perfect 10-0 record in league play for the 2025 fall season.
“I’m proud of our whole group because we all have been playing good and improving really fast,” Aptos sophomore Kiana Safari said. “So I’m glad we earned it.”
It’s the 33rd total SCCAL crown in the program’s history dating back to 1976 when the league first began operations.
Aptos has won eight of the past nine league crowns, and wrapped up a sixth straight title run—including a co-championship with Scotts Valley in 2022.
Safari also kept her perfect 8-0 record in league matches intact following a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Kaitlyn Houston of SLV at No. 1 singles.
Safari spent a little more than one month in Las Vegas for the No Quit Tennis Academy, a program started by former Australian professional player Tim Blenkiron.
Blenkiron, who won an NCAA title for the University of Nevada–Las Vegas, was recruited by former pro Andre Agassi to run his program before he created No Quit.
Safari was approached by a coach from No Quit during a tournament that her older brother, Koosha, also a former Aptos standout, was competing at.
Both siblings were offered a chance to train at the academy, and they jumped on the opportunity faster than a perfectly served ace zipping past an opponent.
“We ended up going for the summer because we didn’t have any school, and it was a really good experience,” Safari said.
Safari mentioned there was one brutal week of training where they played outside in the scorching heat in temperatures that reached up to 115 degrees. Other than that, she made the most of her trip by going up against other elite players from several parts of the region.
The rest of the Mariners’ singles lineup includes senior and four-year player Coral Collins, who earned her way to No. 2 singles this season, while the Calderon twins—Isabella and Natalia—have been holding it down at No. 3 and 4, respectively.
“My mindset was just to get better, improve on myself in tennis,” Isabella Calderon said. “I’ve seen a difference from last year and the other teammates too, a great difference.”
Like most siblings, Isabella Calderon said there’s some friendly competition amongst each other. But, for the most part she enjoys both playing against and alongside her sister.
“It’s just nice,” Isabella Calderon said.
In 2024, the Calderon’s were paired up as a doubles tandem. This year the seniors were split up to compete in singles action with the departure of last year’s seniors, including Aviana Andrews.
“My favorite part has been playing a new position,” Natalia Calderon said. “I’ve learned a lot playing by myself, it’s been very fun.”
In doubles action, Aptos head coach Tammi Brown paired up Neci Hoeptner and Julia Blevins as the team’s top duo for most of the season.
Charlotte Long and Kate Deteso have been a steady pair at No. 2 doubles, while Gia Arista and Sadie Chapman have been the 1-2 punch at No. 3.
Safari said their success on the tennis court comes down to everybody pushing the best out of each other even if it’s during practice.
“We all want each other to win,” she said. “We play practice matches, we’ll put 100 percent effort in even though we’re teammates. We want each other to grow.”
Next up, the Mariners will compete in the SCCAL’s end-of-season singles and doubles tournament at Imperial Courts in Aptos starting Nov. 4 at 9am. The finals are set for the following day at 3:30pm.
Other than winning another SCCAL crown, Isabella Calderon said their biggest motivating factor is getting back to the Central Coast Section tournament. Her sister is just hoping to make it through the first round.
“They’re challenging players, but I like playing other challenging players,” Natalia Calderon said. “It gives us a great opportunity to play players that are better, and it’s also good for us because we get to learn more.”
Safari said getting back to the CCS tourney is also high on her list of goals, and she wants to eventually win it before heading off to her next venture.
“I’m just gonna put in all my effort,” she said. “I’ve been working, I’ve been training for it. If I win a few rounds, perfect. If I don’t, I’m just gonna come back better next year.”
