San Marcos No. 1 singles player Natasha Gill swept her sets to lead the Royals to a 15-3 win over Dos Pueblos.
San Marcos also swept all eight doubles sets, helping the team to make good on coach Jonny Sapp’s prediction at the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table that the Royals would win this Channel League opener for both teams.
Gill was down 5-2 against Chargers’ No. 1 singles player Kate Scherz but came back to take the set 7-5, Sapp said. Gill is undefeated on the season.
“Mental toughness is a huge part of sports, and that’s what separates the good players from the average players,” Sapp said. “Natasha did a great job to keep her composure while being down and came back to win and lead the team to their first regular season win and giving the team an overall record of 6-0.”
The Chargers’ Ellie Tripplet won two singles sets.
“Today we had our first league match of the season and I think my team showed a lot of potential and heart on the court,” Dos Pueblos coach Laura Housinger said. “We had some close sets where senior Kate Scherz had a tight set with the reining Channel League champion and freshman Ellie Triplett won two of her three singles sets, showing great focus and determination. Doubles pairing of Taryn Sager and Saned Crespo were close in all three sets.
“We learn from every match and will work to get stronger for our future league matches. I am excited to see what is to come from my team, we have a bright future ahead.”