“They were just battling it out, with every point being 10- to 20-shot rallies,” women’s tennis coach Gretchen Magers said of tennis player Priscilla Garcia’s tennis match against undefeated Palomar.
“They were both tired and Priscilla had a really sore wrist,” Magers added. “It was just a really high level of play.”
Magers said she felt Garcia’s match was the best she had seen in
three years of coaching women’s tennis at City College.
Garcia, born in El Paso, Texas, was recently named the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference’s Athlete of the Week and is ranked number one in women’s tennis.
Garcia started playing when she was 10.
“My uncle gave me my first tennis racket,” she said. “I started played competitively for about five or six years, from about the age of 11 to 16ish.”
Garcia came to San Diego when she was 15. After playing tennis during her junior year in high school, she gave it for five years, facing pressure both at home and academically.
Now 22, Garcia is in her first year of college and her first season back on the courts.
“Now, I’m doing it for me,” Garcia said. “I felt empty not playing. It was weird.
“Now that I have my confidence back, I can come out (to the tennis courts) everyday. I play with a lot of passion, ask anybody.”
According to her coach and teammates, this passion has keyed Garcia’s winning.
“She pushes me to be better,” teammate Jessica Eung said. “When she plays, she’s really intense. So it’s good to have someone around that is as competitive as I am.”
The team hopes to win the PCAC championship this season, and Garcia hopes to capture individual conference honors. Garcia also hopes to be looked at by other colleges and earn a scholarship to play tennis.
“I just have to remember to play with no fear and to have fun,” Garcia said.
According to Magers, Garcia should be able to play at a Division 1 or 2 school.
“I think the sky’s the limit with Priscilla,” Magers said. “She’s fast. She’s hungry, meaning she’s really competitive and wants every point.
“She has all of the potential she needs.”
