Monache finishes EYL with 10-0 record again
Monache finishes EYL with 10-0 record again
For the second year in a row, the East Yosemite League championship belongs to the Monache High School girls tennis team after the Marauders defeated Porterville 5-4 on the road Wednesday to defend their title with another perfect 10-0 EYL season.
For the second year in a row, the East Yosemite League championship belongs to the Monache High School girls tennis team after the Marauders defeated Porterville 5-4 on the road Wednesday to defend their title with another perfect 10-0 EYL season.
Monache breezed through their first half of league play but ended up losing their No. 2 Raquel Calo to an ankle injury at their 5-4 home win over Porterville (13-8, 8-2 EYL) in the first round. MHS head coach Gary Perez said that ever since then, the team has had their share of ups and downs, but have rallied together to pull out the wins.
“This second round of the league has been a crazy one, it’s just been a roller coaster,” Perez said. “It seemed like every match there was somebody either ill, somebody injured. So the team really came together, played well and did what they had to do to get the win. It was a team effort obviously.”
One of those pivotal players was No. 3 Zannah Castaneda, a sophomore who moved up to take Calo’s spot and went undefeated.
“I would be remiss as a coach if I didn’t acknowledge the play from Zannah Castaneda,” Perez said. “Her wins were key to our success tonight, it was a team effort, but she played some extremely tough Monache tennis.”
Castaneda defeated Porterville’s Jenny Smithey 6-1, 6-3 in the No. 2 singles match.
“They’re missing their No. 2 because of a sprained ankle so everybody moved up a spot,” PHS head coach Kurt Neilsen said. “We thought that might be a slight advantage for us but [Monache] killed at [No.] 2, 4 and 6.”
The Marauders were ahead 4-2 after singles with wins from Castaneda, No. 3 Alyssa Ragasa (6-4, 6-4), No. 4 Keyla Cantu (6-2, 6-1) and No. 6 Valeria Ibarra (6-4, 6-2). For the Panthers, No. 5 Sierra Mitchel won 6-4, 6-3 and No. 1 Claire Nuno upset Monache’s Maddie Giannetto 6-3, 6-2.
“When you have a player like Maddie with capabilities [like hers], everybody expects always nothing but perfect,” Perez said. “And expectations, they’re not perfect, and they’re kids. Look at all the people that are here, there’s a lot of pressure.”
Perez added that Giannetto, who was battling bronchitis just a few weeks ago may not be at 100 percent yet which “throws her timing off.”
Monache won the match in doubles after Castaneda and Ragasa teamed up to win the No. 1 match 8-5. Porterville’s Smithey and Mitchel won the No. 2 match 8-6, while Hannah Walker and Erica Palad won the No. 3 match 8-4.
Both teams move on to the EYL championship tournament at Mission Oak High School on Friday and Saturday. Monache’s Giannetto looks to defend her EYL singles title, while Nuno hopes to defend her doubles title when she teams up with Smithey.