Avenging a previous loss, San Benito beats Mustangs 4-3
Hollister
The San Benito boys tennis team avenged their loss to Gilroy from earlier this year and snapped a four-match losing streak by edging the Mustangs 4-3 Tuesday at the Ridgemark Golf and Country Club in Hollister.
Previously, on March 5, Gilroy upended San Benito 5-2, leaving coach Chris Yoder to believe that his team was capable of performing better.
“Our guys played a lot better than the last time we played them,” Yoder said on Tuesday. “Everyone was playing a lot better.”
The ‘Balers are now 3-4 in the Tri-County Athletic League.
San Benito’s No. 1 singles player Derek Panger avenged his loss to Vinh Vong 7-5, 6-0.
Said Yoder of Panger, “He played more to his level.”
At No. 2, Mark Tobias suffered a 4-6, 1-6 loss to Matt Chan. Despite the defeat, however, Yoder felt Tobias improved from his previous match to Chan.
“The first time, he was really tentative,” the coach said. “This time, he was playing to win instead of playing not to lose.”
San Benito shuffled around its remaining singles players, as Austin Pan took over the No. 3 spot and beat Ryan Azad 6-2, 6-3. At No. 4, former doubles player Conner Baray defeated Gilroy’s Andrew Costa 6-1, 6-2.
In doubles, and in what Yoder said was a really good match, San Benito’s No. 1 pairing of DJ Nielson and Jon Rudolfs beat Mitch Souza and Derek Okada 7-6 (7-4), 4-6 and 10-7 in the third-set tiebreaker.
Mustangs Zach Singh and Sang Min Park won their No. 2 doubles match 6-2, 6-1 against Joe Frusetta and Tony Culler, while Gilroy’s Jensen brothers – Derek and Dylan – defeated Jade Kimura and Michael Labuguen in another close match, 7-6 (7-3), 5-7 and 15-17 in the third-set tiebreaker.
Afterward, Yoder discussed the acronym ACE, which stands for attitude, concentration and effort.
“As long as they can control those three things, I’m proud of them win or lose,” Yoder said.
San Benito’s match at Pacific Grove, scheduled for Friday at Pebble Beach, has been postponed although no make-up date has been announced.
The ‘Balers will return to the court on April 1 when they’ll play at Watsonville.
