The saying “practice makes perfect” never felt so appropriate then with the Vacaville High School girls tennis team.

The Bulldogs made a lot of racket this week, finishing league play with a perfect 15-0 mark, while Gabriella Perry went unbeaten in No. 1 singles play.

Perry finished league play 16-0. On her way to winning the MEL championship tournament this week she beat Emily Martinez from Wood 6-0 6-0, Emily Wong from Rodriguez 6-0, 6-1, Vanden’s Sofia Bedoya 6-1 6-0, and finally Bella Connerly from Rodriguez 6-1, 6-0.

Perry said winning the league title was one of her goals this season.

“I had a lot of good advice given to me, especially from my dad who told me that every shot in a match is just like the ones you have in practice,” said Perry on Friday. “He also told me to play every point as if the score is 0-0.”

Perry said she gets very nervous at the start of matches, but a quick start against Connerly in the championship helped. In fact, Perry never allowed an opponent to get games in a set.

“That’s one of the things I improved on the most during the year — my mental toughness,” Perry said. “I knew I had to start well in these matches and not lose focus. I didn’t want any players to get in my head.”

Perry said one her biggest strengths during a windy afternoon in the final was having patience. She also said she wanted to play great defense and then let the offense come to her when the opportunity presented itself.

Perry said the coaches did a great job motivating the entire team all year long.

“One of our biggest strengths was our communication with each other,” Perry said. “Our coaches did well making sure everyone bonded with each other. Our energy was high all year long.”