San Marcos prevailed in a girls tennis rivalry matchup against Santa Barbara, 14-4, at the Santa Barbara High tennis courts on Tuesday.
“Our players showcased exceptional skill and determination on SB’s home court,” Royals head coach Emily Carver said. “Despite playing away from their home court, they proved their fortitude.”
The Royals set the tone early in singles play, as Mina Yazadzhiev came out with a 6-2 win over Caitlyn Buist. San Marcos’ Victoria Chow then came back from being down multiple games to Nicole Buist to win a tiebreaker, 7-6, 7-5.
Yazadzhiev would end up sweeping all of singles play while Kate Selby picked up a win in tiebreaking fashion over Caitlyn Buist, 7-6, 8-6.
“Their points were well constructed,” Santa Barbara High coach Danny Echt said of Selby and Caitlyn Buist. “Though Caitlyn had set points, Kate played well when she was down and came back.”
The San Marcos doubles pairings of Helena Manar/Bridget Cunnison and Jolie Mardiat/Sydney Posch went undefeated on the day to help contribute to the big win.
Mardiat and Posch dropped two games or fewer in each matchup.
“All of our doubles pairs displayed remarkable teamwork and coordination, ultimately securing their well-deserved victory on SB’s turf,” Carver said.
The Dons’ duo of Mary Moses and Ella Weathers found themselves down 4-0 at one point but were able to battle back to be down 6-5. Moses then held the serve and the Santa Barbara High pairing came out on top in the tiebreaker.
“We came up quite uneven in the match,” Echt said. “We had difficulty executing fairly routine shots. However, it was a valiant effort as we continued to search for answers and I respect the fight the Dons continued to show through the last round.”
Carver is happy with the development of her team coming off this rivalry win.
“We have put in targeted effort in improvement after our Dos Pueblos match and I am pleased with the progress we’ve made,” Carver said. “The team is very motivated to continue their hard work to continue their winning season.”
