Local high school girls tennis squads competed in the second round of the CIF-SS playoffs on Friday.
The Santa Barbara Dons, Dos Pueblos Chargers and the Cate Rams each advanced to the quarterfinals of their respective divisions.
Santa Barbara 10, Vista Murrieta 8 (Division 2)
The Dons squeaked past Vista Murrieta by a score of 10-8 in their matchup.
“I was really proud of the way that all the Dons played today,” Santa Barbara captain Mary Moses said. “No matter the score or the circumstances, we continued to fight and cheer each other on.
“At no point in the match did I feel any stress or disappointment from my teammates and I think their positive energy was what allowed us to get the results we did.”
The Broncos came out of the gates hot, winning two quick singles sets. Santa Barbara’s Nicole Buist then registered a comeback victory over Vista Murrieta’s No. 2 player to get the Dons back in it.
In doubles play, Santa Barbara won all three of the matches in the first round, which set up a dramatic finish on the final two doubles courts.
The duo of Ella Weathers and Micah Sage rose to the occasion, completing a sweep of their three opponents to get the Dons one step closer to victory.
“Ella and Micah played their most dominant tennis of the season, swinging freely and being patiently aggressive,” Santa Barbara coach Danny Echt said.
The final pairing standing was Moses and Esme Lopez, who needed to come out on top to clinch the overall win. They did just that, rallying back from a slow start to pick up a 6-4 win.
“After a sluggish start in the last set in hot conditions and a raucous crowd, the Dons rallied hard and competed well,” Echt said.
The Dons will take on Crossroads on the road on Monday in the CIF-SS quarterfinals.
“This win is the culmination of an entire season of hard work and camaraderie and I know that our fight will carry us on into the next round of CIF,” Moses said.
Dos Pueblos 13, Valencia 5 (Division 2)
The Chargers got off to a strong start and came away with a convincing win over Valencia on the road.
Mel Mayo was perfect on the day with a sweep, 6-0, 6-0, 6-0. Joining Mayo in singles was Ellie Triplett, who also turned in a sweep.
Isla Herrera wrapped up Dos Pueblos’ singles performance with a pair of victories.
In doubles, the pairings of Zella Cassidy/Eva Amendolagine and Kennedy Cross/Sonia Flathman each won two out of three sets.
The Chargers will take on Calabasas in the quarterfinals on Monday.
Cate 10, Fullerton 8 (Division 3)
The Rams came away with a 10-8 win over Fullerton to advance to the quarterfinals.
“Even as the No. 2 seeded team, we’ve been really focused on taking things one match at a time,” Cate coach Trevor Thorpe said. “It’s a good thing, too, because Fullerton was a really strong team with a lot of depth.
“We’re pleased to come through this round and looking forward to playing last year’s D4 CIF Champions on Monday at Cate.”
In singles action, Alyna Takahashi, Lisa Hasebe and Reyna Takahashi all recorded wins to contribute to the team score.
Meanwhile, the pairing of Sophie Alijani/Elsie Chamberlain picked up big wins to take a lead throughout the second round.
Finally, Frances Davis and Colette Chang turned it up and put the finishing touches on the win, winning the final five games of the day.
“I’m also really pleased by the way every single player on the team battled today, even when they were behind in sets,” Thorpe said. “We’re definitely going to need to bring that intensity throughout next week to earn ourselves a shot at the CIF Championship.”
Cate will take on Mark Keppel High in the quarterfinals on Monday at 2 p.m.
Garden Grove 10, Carpinteria 8 (Division 4)
The Warriors battled but fell short in their second-round matchup with Garden Grove, 10-8.
“We did battle and we never, ever, gave up, which shows the character of our team,” Carpinteria coach Charles Bryant said. “It was not for a lack of trying and that is why I am so proud of our girls. We didn’t play our best match unfortunately but a lot of that was due to the very consistent Garden Grove squad.”
Carpinteria won five sets in singles play and took a trio of points in doubles play on the day.
Izzy Scott flexed her muscles in singles action with a sweep while Silke Leonard and Valeria Zamora each picked up a win.
In doubles, Keyla Manriquez and Charlotte Cooney were dominant as well to the tune of a sweep.
“[Keyla and Charlotte] work really well together and it showed today against three solid doubles teams,” Bryant said. “Unfortunately, we just could not get over the hump on our other sets. Most were close but we just came up a bit short.”
The Warriors finish the season with an 18-4 record and a Citrus Coast League championship.
Liberty 12, Bishop Diego 6 (Division 6)
The Cardinals had their season come to an end as well with a loss to Liberty.
Haley Hubbs, who has led the way all season for Bishop Diego, went 2-1 for the team’s only wins in singles play.
“I think what Haley learned this year is that she is in fact a really good player,” Cardinals coach Pete Kirkwood said. “She is just getting started in becoming a legitimate #1 type player and is just beginning the next level of transition shots and volleys”
The doubles pairings of Elisha McCullough/Marlene Lausen and Galilea De La Cruz/Anja Faasbing each went 2-1 on the day to round out the scoring for Bishop Diego.
“It was a great season and it was fun to coach a team of such high character and camaraderie,” Kirkwood said. “The Cardinals will be back and better than ever next year.”