CATS TENNIS DOMINATES
West Ranch dominates early, defeats Notre Dame
The West Ranch girls tennis team overwhelmed its competition Tuesday afternoon, beating Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks in a clean sweep, 18-0.
West Ranch got ahead of Notre Dame early in the first round of matches, as the Wildcats’ No. 1 singles player Jordyn McBride and No. 3 singles player Shaira Busnawi swept their opponents in six straight games.
The early victories allowed McBride and Busnawi to cheer on their teammates and relax a bit before their second sets.
“It’s so nice because I feel like the spirit I bring on the team and everyone brings the team. It’s great,” Busnawi said. “Everyone plays a lot better when their teammates are cheering them on.”
“My favorite thing about team sports is cheering and the team spirit,” McBride added. “I think our main thing is we’re super close, so the chemistry is always there.”
The Wildcats’ No. 2 singles player Chase Eisenberg was not far behind, defeating her opponent 6-3 in the first set.
Eisenberg would go on to sweep her opponents in her second and third sets of the afternoon, as did McBride. Busnawi also won her second set 6-0, and was able to take the third set off as sophomore Macy Muxlow filled in.
Muxlow continued the trend of the day, beating her opponent in a quick sweep.
“We have a really great lineup. They can do everything,” said West Ranch head coach Dina McBride. “We’re solid in the singles. Even our subs are solid. No matter who I put in, I can interchange anyone. We are really deep.”
The doubles squads gave up more points to the opposition, but still did not drop any games. The No.1 doubles team consisting of seniors Audrey Kim and Emily Andrews didn’t lose more than two sets in any of their games, while the No. 3 doubles team comprised of Kayla Halberstam and Nina Contin had a 6-3 result in their second set.
The closest game of the day came when the Cats’ No. 2 doubles team of Brooke Johnston and Angelina Ciuffo trailed early in their second set. They were able to mount a comeback after being down 2-1 and force a tiebreak, which they won 7-3.
“They’ve improved so much over
the summer and I’m proud to see that they are coming out here and giving their best,” McBride said. “The results speak to how much time they spent on the court.”
The Wildcats will have one more non-conference matchup against Crescenta Valley on Thursday, before league play begins on Sept. 6 at Golden Valley.
The back-to-back Foothill League champions believe they have a good chance to three-peat this year and could also make a splash in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
“I think we can win league. We have a really strong team,” Busnawi said. “As for CIF, I think with the spirit and the skills that we all bring, I think this year we can go really far.”