In Ed Cecena’s six years of coaching the girls tennis team at
San Benito High School, he’s never had the pleasure of taking
victories over Carmel, Aptos or Notre Dame.
Hollister – In Ed Cecena’s six years of coaching the girls tennis team at San Benito High School, he’s never had the pleasure of taking victories over Carmel, Aptos or Notre Dame.
Of course, there is a first for everything.
After triumphing over Carmel and Aptos last week, Cecena’s Lady ‘Balers opened their league season with a 4-3 win over Tri-County Athletic League powerhouse Notre Dame.
Cecena said it’s always Notre Dame and Salinas at the top of the TCAL year after year, so Tuesday’s win at Ridgemark Golf and Country Club will pay dividends for the Lady ‘Balers later in the season.
After Tuesday’s “big surprise,” San Benito remains a perfect 5-0.
“I didn’t expect to get off to this good of a start,” Cecena said. “I’m really proud of the girls with the way they’re playing and the way they’re coming through.”
In the end, with the two teams knotted at 3-3, the match rode on the No. 4 singles players. After Notre Dame’s Daisie Winstone took the first set 6-2, Kaitlyn O’Keefe was forced to mount a comeback. She took the second set 7-5, though, and edged Winstone in the third-set tiebreaker 10-8.
In other matches, No. 1 singles player Amanda Marshall broke out of a slump against one of the TCAL’s best. Marshall defeated Notre Dame’s Alexis Pressas 7-5, 6-2.
No. 2 Lady ‘Baler Yumi Chang upended Brittlyn Schwartz 1-6, 6-4, 10-3, and Notre Dame’s Sara Tlymale beat Abby Woods 6-1, 6-1.
In doubles, the No. 1 pairing of Rachel Maheu and Elena Fata defeated Shannon Maciaas and Sara Horne 6-2, 3-6, 10-4, while San Benito teammates Crystal Perreira and Marisa Ibarra beat April Harvey and Brooke Caraccioli 6-2, 7-5. The No. 3 doubles team of Bri Ahumada-Wolfsmith and Lauren Ademek lost to Notre Dame’s Chantelle Edwards and Melissa Speciale 6-4, 6-3.
The Lady ‘Balers will look to remain undefeated when they host Live Oak on Friday. The match, which was originally scheduled for Thursday, will be held at Ridgemark Golf and Country Club at 3:30pm.
“As long as we keep playing the way we’re playing,” Cecena said, “we should be OK.”
