Local high school girls tennis teams competed in the opening round of the CIF-SS playoffs on Wednesday.
San Marcos fell in the Division 1 bracket while Santa Barbara, Dos Pueblos, Carpinteria and Bishop Diego each advanced to the second round with victories.
JSerra 10, San Marcos 8 (Division 1)
The Royals’ season came to an end with a tight 10-8 loss to JSerra.
Mina Yazadzhiev closed out her dominant season in singles play with a comeback victory over JSerra’s top singles player and a 6-0 win against their third-best individual.
In doubles play, San Marcos went 5-4 and all three duos cruised to victories over JSerra’s first-line doubles pairings.
“It was a close, well-fought match,” Royals coach Emily Carver said.
San Marcos ends the season with a 16-1 record.
Dos Pueblos 10, Flintridge Prep 8 (Division 2)
Singles play led the charge for the Chargers, who picked up their first playoff win in three years.
Ellie Triplett and Mel Mayo, the first and second-place finishers in the Channel League, each went 3-0 to secure a massive advantage in singles play.
“[Ellie and Mel] have really been consistent all year and have been kids we can count on in every single match,” Dos Pueblos coach Rob Schiff said.
On top of Triplett and Mayo’s performance, the pairing of Zella Cassidy and Eva Amendolagine grabbed wins in two of their three doubles matchups.
“It was a great win for us and hopefully helps us gain confidence going forward,” Schiff said.
Dos Pueblos will play either Valencia or Temescal Canyon in the second round.
Santa Barbara 11, Hart 7 (Division 2)
The Dons used a fast start to propel themselves to an 11-7 win over Hart.
Santa Barbara High came out with a 5-1 lead after the first round and picked up four of the nine singles points.
Nicole Buist went 3-0 (6-3, 6-0, 6-0) to lead the charge in singles play.
“Nicole played smart and aggressively through all three rounds,” Dons coach Danny Echt said. “Her focus and energy were excellent.”
In doubles play, Caitlyn Buist and Juliana Aviani battled in a back-and-forth matchup and eventually came away with an impressive 6-4 victory.
“Today we really brought the energy,” Caitlyn Buist said. “We all did our part, be that in singles or doubles, and we all played to win.
“I think there are small things we can improve on and I am looking forward to our second round match on Friday.”
The Dons will take on Murrietta on the road on Friday
Carpinteria 11, Rio Mesa 7 (Division 4)
The Warriors came away with an 11-7 thanks to great play from the doubles pairings, as Carpinteria captured seven of the nine doubles points.
“We played a solid match today,” Warriors coach Charles Bryant said. “Everyone contributed today, which was important as we needed everyone to step up and play well, which they did.”
The duo of Keyla Manriquez and Charlotte Cooney led the way with a 3-0 record on the day while dropping just two games.
Following up Manriquez and Cooney were the pairings of Natalie Martinez/Taylor Trembly and Allison Banks/Sasha Porinsh, who each went 2-1 to contribute to the win.
In singles action, Izzy Scott battled to a 2-1 record while both Valeria Zamora and Silke Leonard picked up a win apiece.
“Overall, it was a good opening playoff match for us,” Bryant said. “A few jitters here and there but for the most part the girls shook them off and played really well throughout.”
Carpinteria will play host to Garden Grove on Friday.
Bishop Diego 9, Paramount 9 (Bishop Diego Wins in Games 81-77) (Division 6)
The Cardinals pulled out a thriller against Paramount after the matchup was decided by games won.
“This is as proud of a team as I’ve ever been,” Bishop Diego coach Pete Kirkwood said. “Everybody contributed to this win. This was a group that hung together battled for each other and ultimately walked away winners.
“We lost two of these type of matches this year and in our CIF match last year as well, so to see the perseverance of this team was quite satisfying.”
Haley Hubbs led the singles play for Bishop Diego, coming away with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 sweep.
Galilea De La Cruz and Anja Faasbind, meanwhile, led the doubles attack with a sweep of their own, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.
“Galilea and Anja served well today and beat their opponents to the punch most of the time,” Kirkwood said.
Following that duo were Elisha McCullough and Marlene Lausen, who grabbed a pair of wins that included a comeback from behind 4-1.
Victoria Heredia and Sophia Regan rounded out the scoring with a victory at the No. 3 doubles spot.
“This was [Victoria and Sophia’s] first match together and they played with such energy and compatibility it was a joy to watch,” Kirkwood said. “They were both all over the net and very aggressive today. They were communicating well and were so competitive.”
The Cardinals will take on Liberty on Friday at 2 p.m. at Cate High School.
