Cate freshman Elizabeth Jayich and the Rams’ duo of Lisa Hasebe and Kiki Chang earned Tri-Valley League girls tennis titles on Thursday in Carpinteria.
“Our girls executed at a high level throughout this tournament, and I could not be more proud of the way they took care of business,” Cate head coach Trevor Thorpe said.
“We had a dominant season as a team, but it can be a totally different challenge in the individual tournament, as singles players sometimes pair up into the doubles draws and nerves and illness can take their toll. Instead, everyone rose to the occasion.”
Jayich pulled out a tight victory over fellow Ram Jade Wang in the singles championship matchup, 6-4, 7-5.
Meanwhile, Hasebe and Chang faced off against Villanova Prep’s Chloe Kalison and Poon* for the doubles title and secured a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 victory.
Hasebe is a senior who paired up with Chang, a freshman, after defending doubles champion Ivy Huang was scratched. Hasebe has not lost a single individual match in her four years as a Ram, the only player in TVL history to do so.
“I’m especially proud of how our freshman Kiki stepped into Ivy’s shoes and with the way Lisa took over in the key moments,” Thorpe said.
The Cate pairing of Chlesea Newlove and Elly Edwards turned in a strong showing as well, recording a 7-6, 6-0 win in the third-place match.
The Rams will now await their team CIF-SS playoff pairing, which will be released Saturday.
