In spite of just returning from spring break, missing players, and fighting the rain, the wind and the cold, the Dos Pueblos High School tennis team chased away the Yellow Jackets of Oxnard on Monday, winning 14-4.

Wetness covered the courts all morning. All I could do was move a few puddles while it continued to drizzle. When I returned before lunchtime to finish the squeegeeing, I saw only clean and dry courts, thanks to a young tennis volunteer and a kind gardener! All through the day and almost until match time, I received messages regarding academic commitments, injuries and illnesses. With missing players, we had to reconfigure the lineup, and thus, form new pairings in doubles.

Each pairing showed that the rustiness they may have felt at the beginning of the match had fallen away by the end of the first round.

In doubles, where the Chargers took eight of nine sets, Eric Katz and Sean Simpson lost only four games in their sweep at No. 1. At No. 2, Robert Laskin and Mitch Hanson powered through their two sets, as did the No. 3 “tower twins” of Stephen Long and Ziyad Marcus. In the third round, Richard Cheng partnered with his buddy, Michael Baik, and took the last doubles set of the day.

In singles, where the Chargers snagged six sets, Christian Edstrom and Austin Cano took two sets each, and Andy Silverstein and Anjian Wu took one each. Andy Silverstein, part of DP’s No. 1 doubles team, was thrown into singles vs. No. 2 Ethan Lopez. Although behind throughout much of the set, he was not discouraged and climbed back to 5-5 with a variety of well-placed shots and off-pace serves. Even though he lost that set, he came back with determination and energy and took the next set against Ethan’s brother, Trent Lopez.

In the third round, Anjian Wu warmed up quickly and took DP’s last singles set handily, at 6-0. Everyone on both teams played with focus and heart.

Way to go, Chargers! Dos Pueblos improves to 8-4 overall and 2-2 in league, and will travel to Cate on Wednesday.

Dos Pueblos Singles

Christian Edstrom 2-1
Andy Silverstein 1-1
Austin Cano 2-0
Anjian Wu 1-0
Yohan Chappaz 0-1

Dos Pueblos Doubles

Eric Katz/Sean Simpson 3-0
Robert Laskin/Mitch Hanson 2-0
Stephen Long/Ziyad Marcus 2-0
Richard Cheng/Michael Baik 1-0
Taylor Howard/Willem Rasmussen 0-1

Oxnard Singles

Trent Lopez 1-2
Ethan Lopez 2-1
Gerald Cuico 0-2
Ian Chairez 0-1

Oxnard Doubles

Joe Nguyen/Paul Camposagrado 1-2
Aran Damaso/John Yaw 0-3
Brandon King/Scott Nichol 0-3

— Liz Frech coaches boys’ tennis at Dos Pueblos High.