The Carpinteria boys faced a determined Malibu squad Thursday in a Citrus Coast League match, and came up short by a 16-2 score.
The doubles team of Servando Campuzano and Connor Gralewski were the Warrior scorers, going 2-1 in their sets.
“It was their first time playing togetherm and after dropping their first set 7-5 they gained momentum and won their next two,” Carpinteria coach Charles Bryant said. “They communicated well and their games complemented each others’, as Servando was steady at the baseline and Connor was quite aggressive at the net.”
Otherwise, the day had its frustration.
“We mixed up our lineup a bit today to try and counter their strong singles but we just couldn’t get the results,” Bryant said. “We had competitive singles matches, but the actual set scores didn’t quite reflect how close those sets were.
“The Shark singles players are experienced and that helped them tremendously in turning the tight games into wins. We were frustrated by them as they just did not want to give up much ground (games).”
The Warriors are 8-7 overall and 6-4 in CCL play. They will play in the league tournament at Channel Islands High School Monday and Tuesday, followed by the last league dual at Hueneme on Wednesday.
I has been a trying week, with a loss also against Nordhoff.
“Overall, I think we are glad this week is coming to a close,” Bryant said. “We hit a few road bumps these past few days against a strong Nordhoff squad and an inspired Malibu team.
“It is a good eye-opener for us that we will have to be sharper and will have to be at our best from here on out.”
Dunn 14, Bishop Diego 4
Down a couple of players, the Bishop Diego boys finished their season on Senior Day with a disappointing 14-4 loss to Dunn on Thursday.
The Cardinals were forced to forfeit No. 3 singles, and altered the doubles combinations.
“Having to shake up the doubles line up, we had our two seniors Max Schwarz and Brennan Kaufman hold down the No. 1 spot,” Bishop Diego coach Pete Kirkwood said. “It took a couple of sets to establish real cohesiveness, but I am glad to say the two veteran Cardinals walked off the court for the last time 6-2 winners.
“Brennan and Max were great captains for the team and leaders by example. We don’t have any Juniors on the team, so they are passing the torch to a young nucleus of players and have done a great job.”
The Cardinals doubles team of Joe Simolon and Alfredo Contreras provided the highlight of the day, Kirkwood said.
“After experiencing two tough set losses at Laguna Blanca, they bounced back today and won two of three sets,” the coach said. “They are both great movers, but today they were on top of their game in that department.
“Joe was getting to everything at the baseline and Alfredo was all over the net. There were many points with both of them at the net getting into great volley exchanges. They won 7-6(5) and 6-3.”
Aaron Bush picked the fourth Bishop Diego point with a see-saw battle in round three. Bush went up 3-0, lost four straight games, and then pulled it out 6-4.
“Aaron has been complimented by the opposing coach on numerous occasions this year for how he hustles and never gives up,” Kirkwood said.
“That was the case when he had to face Dunn’s German exchange student in round one. Evidently he has a high junior ranking over there and is a fine player. He beat Arron 6-0 but Aaron did such a great job of battling and making him hit a lot of extra balls. The Dunn coach acknowledged the effort and echoed my sentiments after the match.”