Scott Forstner/Sports Writer | Posted: Friday, October 7, 2005 12:00 am
Nipomo tried to throw another wrench into the Los Padres League tennis standings at Thursday/s match, but visiting Cabrillo did not allow it.
The Conquistadores (6-1), who maintained their first-place tie with St. Joseph at the end of the first round, won seven of nine in doubles and six of nine in singles for a convincing 13-5 victory.
”Everything counts,B said Cabrillo junior Heidi Havlicek, whose No. 2 doubles unit with senior Lauren Vance swept their three sets. ”Every match is important.B
The Titans (3-4) mustered only three sets in singles 7 all coming via junior No. 1 Elizabeth Will 7 and two in doubles 7 both from the top tandem of senior Diana Melero and Erin Gardner.
”This is a big win for us,B said Conqs coach Dan Troup. ”We didn/t take them lightly. We knew Nipomo was a good team. Now we just have to gear up and get ready for the second half of the season.B
For Cabrillo, the second half starts next week with home matches against Pioneer Valley on Tuesday and Santa Maria on Thursday before two key road matches at St. Joseph on Oct. 18 and at Morro Bay on Oct. 20.
”Doubles have really been coming on strong,B said Troup. ”If we want to beat St. Joseph, Santa Ynez, and Morro Bay, we/re going to have to do that in doubles. If we can get four or five or six points in singles, we/ve got to get the doubles.B
The Cabrillo pairs pulled through against Nipomo as Vance, a converted singles player, and Havlicek swept in the No. 2 spot; seniors Elysha McLain and Madalyn Doudna took two of three in the No. 1 position; and senior Lindsey Johnson and junior Ashley Brady also won two of three.
”Doubles has been playing well and we need doubles to play well for us to be a good team,B said Troup. ”When they play tough, we/re a tough team.B
In the toughest doubles set, Vance and Havlicek handed Nipomo/s Melero and Gardner their only loss by a 6-4 spread.
”We both came in like we need to get this one. It/s us versus them for the sweep,B said Vance. ”We just worked it today. We haven/t played together much, but we/re starting to come together and mesh well.B
Will held tough in singles action for Nipomo 7 first fending off Cabrillo senior Ellen Monkemeier in an hour-long battle 6-4, then topping freshman Summer Miller 6-1, and finally outlasting No. 2 Lisa Schutz 6-3 in the last set of the match.
”They (Will and Monkemeier) always have a good match, and these two (Will and Schutz) always have a marathon match,B said Nipomo coach Rosemarie Will. ”I thought Elizabeth played really steady and smart and just kind of prevailed.B
Will went up early on Monkemeier in the battle of top singles, but Monkemeier evened the set before Will pulled away in the late games for the set victory.
”That was a good set. It could have gone either way. There were a lot of long volleys. Elizabeth won today, but I told Ellen she/ll get another shot at her down the road,B said Troup. ”I know they were excited about playing Elizabeth. They look forward to playing the best players in league.B
Monkemeier bounced back to win her next two sets, dropping only one game, while Schutz won her first two sets by scores of 6-0, 6-3. Miller, up from the junior varsity, was strong as well, with winning scores of 6-2, 6-0.
”I kind of threw her out to the wolves and she/s responded,B said Troup of Miller. ”It/s tough on her. Losing is a big shock to her. She hates to lose, but she hangs in there. She/s beating the girls she should beat and the girls who are better she/s playing tough.B
Nipomo/s lineup remains tough. The Titans lost to St. Joseph in games after a 9-9 tie in sets earlier this season, and they plan on giving Morro Bay just as much of a battle on Tuesday.
”I didn/t think they/d be that strong (in doubles). They might take it,B said Will of Cabrillo. ”I thought we played pretty good today. They all were fighting in there. These girls are just more skilled and there/s nothing you can do about that.B
Morro Bay 16, Lompoc 2
At Morro Bay the Lompoc Braves could win just two doubles matches.
Jani Carmona/Crystal Hernandez won a 6-3 set and Sami Razon/Maiyer Vang prevailed by the same score but everywhere else it was Pirates.
All three Morro Bay singles players, Alisa Royer, Chelsea Dauer and Christina Miller, swept, Miller without giving up a game. Two of Morro Bay/s three doubles teams also swept.
Lompoc is now 1-6 in LPL play, 2-9 overall. The Braves host San Luis Obispo Monday.
St. Joseph 17, Pioneer Valley 1
At Pioneer Valley, the Knights (6-1, 9-1) roared back from its Tuesday loss to Morro Bay. Pioneer Valley dropped to 0-7 in the LPL and 1-7 overall.
St. Joseph freshman Ane McPike responded to her promotion to number one singles by sweeping three sets and losing one game in the process. The Knights played a lot of new combinations, one of whom, the doubles tandem of Carrie Marks and Francesca Sanchez, won two of their three sets.
Courtney Jaeckels swept three sets in doubles with two partners, Lauren Freitas in the last two and Whitney Brooks in the first one. The doubles tandem of Irma Contreras and Maya Lara scored the Panthers/ point.
Santa Ynez 13, Santa Maria 5
In Santa Ynez, the host Pirates kept their chances for a fourth straight league title alive and used every player on the team to notch the league victory over the Saints.
Santa Ynez (4-2), one win off the lead pace of St. Joseph and Cabrillo, got three set victories from Sara Schroeder and two from Subi Sundaram in singles play.
The Pirates/ top duo of Laura Reynolds and Allyson Voorhis picked up two wins before the substitute duo of Lauren Swift and Lisa Olesen finished off the sweep. The No. 2 unit of Nicole Masnada and Lauren Henno tallied two wins and then allowed Kendal Ward and Chelsea Weatherby get the third. In addition, the No. 3 pair of Claire Hemming and Erica Schroeder won two sets.
For Santa Maria, Ariana Cadena, Veronica Garcia and Kristel Rubio had one win apiece as did the top duo of Victoria Regalado and Maty Martinez.
In the junior varsity match, Santa Maria defeated Santa Ynez 10-8 at the Minami Center.
The Saints led 6-0 after the first round, then held off the Pirates as Cecilia Cruz and Jessica Rocco won an 11-9 tiebreaker in the last match to finish.
Singles players Kristen Webb, Belen Balderas and Mayte Martinez, along with doubles tandems Marisol Gonzalez and Yeshella Jimenez, Elissa and Laura Gonzalez, and Cruz and Rocco gave the Saints their first-round points.
October 7, 2005