In just over two weeks, the Coronado Islanders girls’ varsity tennis team will be back on the court for the start of the 2025 regular season.

It’s a group that’s coming into the fall with a fair amount of buzz surrounding it. The girls ended 2024 on a solid run, making a push to the CIF DIII playoffs, where they’d earn the number five seed and advance as far as the quarterfinals.

Coronado will also boast a bevy of returning talent on the 2025 roster. Seniors Grace Elardo and Logan Shapiro will both return in 2025. Last year, Grace Elardo finished the season with a combined 45-9 record across both doubles and singles.

Meanwhile, Shapiro posted an excellent season of her own, going 38-18 between her doubles and singles matches. Both Elardo and Shapiro were named to the first team all-league and earned bids to the CIF San Diego Section Individual Tournament.

The Islanders are also extremely excited to have Maria Anaya return to the team in 2025. Anaya was a first-team all-league player back in 2023. That season, she and Elardo combined to be the Islanders’ top doubles duo, going 48-7 in 2023. They helped lead Coronado, at the time, to the CIF DII championship against Mater Dei Catholic.

Her return to the team will provide an immediate spark for the Islanders.

Juniors Brynn Belong and Lilah Cade, two of the Islanders’ top doubles players from last season, also return to the roster in 2025. Both logged impressive marks, with Cade posting a record of 34-19 and Belong going 30-21. Samantha Aldworth will also return as a pivotal asset on the doubles line. In her freshman campaign, she posted a 29-18 record.

Meanwhile, in singles, Coronado will once again look to receive key contributions from returnees Ella Peterson, Ines Gil, and Abbie McKissick.

Along with the return of many familiar faces, the Islanders will also have an influx of freshmen talent. Paula Avila Gonzalez should make an impact in her first year on varsity. Over the last year, Gonzalez has played in over 20 UTR tennis tournaments. Zoe Rice is another freshman that the Islanders have high hopes for entering the ’25 season. In UTR tournaments, she has shown to be an extremely effective player in both doubles and singles.

When examining the Islanders’ 2025 schedule, it will feature several familiar foes. Coronado will once again be in the Eastern League. That means the late-season schedule will have showdowns against teams like Mission Bay High School, University City High School, Christian High School, High Tech High School, and Canyon Hills High School.

The Islanders’ regular season will kick off with four non-conference matches starting on August 26th and continuing through September 10th. In that time, they will face off against Otay Ranch, Helix, Eastlake, and Westview.

League play is set to get underway on September 16th. Their first Eastern League match is against Mission Bay High School.

Those with a strong memory may notice a team or name omitted from that list. The defending champions of the Eastern League, Clairemont High, which the Islanders nearly bested in the CIF 2024 CIF DIII quarterfinals, have moved over to the City League.

For anyone who is still looking to join or try out for the Islanders girls’ tennis team, CHS Varsity and JV Girls’ Tennis Teams will be holding tryouts the week of August 18, 2025, at the CHS Tennis Courts from 4-6 p.m. (M-Fri).