Photo gallery: 2013 San Gabriel Valley Tribune All-Area Boys Tennis Team

Player of the Year: KEVIN VUONG, Rowland

Rowland High School had a season for the ages this spring.

The Raiders boys tennis team won 18 of 19 matches, went undefeated in winning the Hacienda League and finished the regular season ranked No. 4 in CIF-Southern Section Division 2 before advancing two rounds.

The key cog for Rowland was senior Kevin Vuong, who accomplishments included winning the league individual championship and advancing two rounds at the CIF-SS individual tournament.

For his efforts, Vuong is Tribune Boys Tennis Player of the Year.

"It's big for me, because I have brothers who accomplished these awards too," Vuong said. "For me to achieve something equal or even greater than them, it feels really good.

"I'm used to being the underdog, because I never really had any formal training or lessons. All this hard work got me this far, so it's really important to know that even though you haven't had any lessons, you can still make it far."

Vuong certainly showed the latter this season. He was the dominant player in the area in helping the Raiders to a 17-0 regular season, which included reaching two tournament championship games.

The senior went 36-0 in league matches and won 54 of 55 matches during the regular season. He also won the league singles tournament and advanced two rounds at the CIF-SS individual tournament.

Vuong credited his success to Rowland's No. 2 singles player Adrian Chau, who went 35-1 in league play.

"I was really surprised I made it that far (at the individual tournament)," Vuong said. "Our No. 2 player and myself had a really good rivalry the whole year. It really helped me out, help me get better. Without him, I don't think I would have made it this far."

And the Raiders likely don't go 12-0 in the Hacienda League without Vuong.

"It was really a team effort," Vuong said. "We worked harder than we ever have before. They sacrificed a lot. It was a great year."

COACH OF THE YEAR

JAKE MAGNANT, ROWLAND 
The Raiders, guided by Magnant the past four seasons, have been one of the top programs in the area under his watch. This season, Rowland went undefeated in winning the Hacienda League title before finishing 17-1 with a second-round appeance in CIF-SS Division 2. Rowland also had a singles player and a doubles team advance two rounds at the individual tournament.

FIRST TEAM -- Singles

ADRIAN CHAU, ROWLAND 
Chau was arguably the No. 2 singles player in the area behind teammate Kevin Vuong. Chau earned All-Hacienda League after finishing second in the league's single tournament. He helped Rowland to a 17-1 record, winning 35 of 36 league matches.

ANTHONY SANCHEZ, NOGALES 
The Nobles had a tough year, but Sanchez was their silver lining. He was the top player in the Valle Vista League, winning 28 of 30 league matches before winning the league tournament. He advanced one round in the CIF-SS individual tournament.

FIRUZE BARIMANI, WILSON 
Barimani was the key cog in the Wildcats being one of the top teams in the area. He helped Wilson to a 19-2 record and the Division 4 quarterfinals. He was runner-up at the Valle Vista League finals and advanced two rounds at CIF-SS individuals.

FIRST TEAM -- Doubles

JEFFERY ALIDIANA AND HANS YU, ROWLAND 
The duo were another key factor in the Raiders going 17-1 with a Hacienda League title and a second-round playoff appearance. Alidiana and Yu were the league's doubles MVP after winning 48 of 52 matches during the regular season. The duo was runnerup at league finals, losing by injury default, and went into the CIF-SS playoffs with an overall record of 49-5. They advanced two rounds at the CIF-SS individual tournament, winning their first-match, 6-1, 6-4, before losing in the second round to eventual round of 16 qualifier

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