Article by Tyler Breisacher

The Rams continued their undefeated season in a Friday afternoon victory over the West Valley Vikings on Feb. 21, bringing their record to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the Coast Conference.

The matchup was a family affair, as Rams Head Coach Kelly Hickey faced off against her twin sister Lauren Hickey who coaches West Valley. They call it the “Hickey Cup”.. Before the match, Kelly Hickey joked that if anyone needed help they could just call out “Coach Hickey” and one of the two would be there.

The Rams won two out of three doubles matches, including a hard-fought 8-6 victory by Anna Volshko and Ananda Kong. “It was really intense but it was really satisfying,” Kong said. “We were all trying to figure out game strategies, and trying to improve ourselves, focusing on keeping the ball in play but then also not being too ambitious with our shots.”

In singles, City College won every match except one, for an overall score of 7-2. 

Sophomore Kelly Ye said she thought her singles match against West Valley sophomore Abby Salazar was “the best one I’ve had so far this season.” She won in straight sets 6-2 then 6-1.

“The team is doing fantastic,” she added. 

Coach Kelly Hickey said the matches were “gritty” and was pleased with the team’s overall direction. “It wasn’t the cleanest match we’ve played overall but it was definitely a team effort and the Rams continue to build momentum in conference,” she said.

The “Hickey Cup” tradition will continue next month, when the Rams and Vikings will play again on St. Patrick’s Day. “Hopefully the luck of the Irish is on our side that day!” Hickey said.

The Rams beat the Chabot College Gladiators in a 6-3 victory on Feb. 25 to remain undefeated. Their next match will be against Canada College on March 3.