San Benito Coach Ed Cecena scheduled Carmel and Aptos, a pair of
traditionally strong tennis teams, to prepare his Lady ‘Balers for
their tough upcoming league schedule.
San Benito Coach Ed Cecena scheduled Carmel and Aptos, a pair of traditionally strong tennis teams, to prepare his Lady ‘Balers for their tough upcoming league schedule.
Considering the Lady ‘Balers had never defeated Carmel or Aptos, the two non-league matches would likely give San Benito an idea of where they compare to other powerful teams.
But after defeating Carmel on Wednesday 6-1, the Lady ‘Balers kept their record perfect on Thursday, narrowly defeating Aptos 4-3 at the Ridgemark Golf and Country Club.
“We had never beaten Carmel or Aptos,” Cecena said. “I thought we’d be up against it, but the girls are improving at a rapid pace.
“Carmel was having a down year, but Aptos is always tough. This was a pleasant surprise.”
Up 3-2 with two matches remaining, the Lady ‘Balers needed just one more win to ice the victory. And after the no. 3 doubles pair fell, it came down to the no. 2 singles match.
San Benito’s Yumi Chang defeated Kerri Allen 6-1, 7-5 in that match, and gave the Lady ‘Balers the extra point to edge Aptos 4-3. Said Cecena, “Yumi pulled out the win for us.”
At the no. 1 singles, Aptos’ Nici Yvanovich defeated Amanda Marshall 6-1, 6-1, while at the no. 3 singles, Erica Hoffman beat San Benito’s Abby Woods 3-6, 7-5 and 7-5 in the third-set tiebreaker.
At the no. 4 singles position, Lady ‘Baler Kaitlyn O’Keefe upended Kelsey Doyle 7-5, 6-1.
“Our girls stepped up, competed well, and pulled it out,” Cecena said.
In doubles, Rachel Maheu and Elena Fata defeated Kaylee Williams and Robin Wiseman 6-1, 1-6, 11-9, and teammates Crystal Perreira and Marisa Ibarra beat Teal Owyang and Michelle Sakave 6-4, 6-3. No. 3 doubles team Julia Fatjo and Katelyn Kampa beat Lady ‘Balers Rachel Smith and Bri Ahumada-Wolfsmith 7-6, 6-3.
“Some of them were over their heads a little bit, but they were able to match that skill and come through,” the coach said.
The Lady ‘Balers, who’ve marched through the preseason with a clean 4-0 record, will open the Tri-County Athletic League against one of the powerhouse teams they’ve been preparing for, Notre Dame.
The match, originally scheduled for Notre Dame, will begin at 3:30pm at Ridgemark Golf and Country Club on Tuesday.
