Owls Run the TVL Gauntlet, Come Out with Chance at .500

Now in the final week of the season, Laguna Blanca boys’ tennis has improved to 5-6 overall, despite facing strong opponents in Cate and Thacher in the first few days back from a two-week spring break.

Laguna Blanca v. Thacher: 3-15 Loss

Laguna had just one practice leading into a tough league match against visiting Thacher, and paid for it dearly in the 3-15 loss. The Owls were unable to scratch against a strong Thacher doubles lineup, with just Noah Mitev/Enzo Vinoly able to force a close tie-break loss against the Thacher #3 team. In singles, both Mason Berg and Oliver Tande had their chances against the Thacher #1 and #2 opponents but were unable to convert, with the two plus Wyatt Burt only able to secure singles wins against the Thacher #3 player.

Laguna Blanca @ Dunn: 13-5 Win

The Owls shook off the Thacher defeat and regrouped for a quality win over the Dunn School in the Santa Ynez Valley. The win was spearheaded by doubles sweeps from Lucas Ayala/Keanu Christiansen and Noah Mitev/Enzo Vinoly.

In singles play, Mason Berg came close to victory over UTR 6.8-rated Richard Bertea, but would have to settle for a 2-1 record on the day. Oliver Tande also recorded 2 wins, with Wyatt Burt adding a win in the final round-of-play.

Laguna Blanca v. Cate: 5-13 Loss

In what was billed to be a brutally difficult day for the home-team, visiting Cate was unable to dominate the match in the way they had the previous season, en-route to their CIF D3 title.

Laguna fought gamely through out the match, starting with a huge win for freshman Oliver Tande against UTR 7.3-rated senior, Ethan Bloom. Both he and Mason Berg added singles wins over Cate #3, James He, but Nate Newlove from Cate managed to stem the bleeding with a 3-0 day at #2 singles.

In doubles play, Lucas Ayala and Keanu Christiansen were competitive in all three matches (3-6, 3-6, 7-6), including a tie-break win over the #3 team. Sophomores Enzo Vinoly and Noah Mitev struggled to find their footing in the early rounds, but rallied to take a 7-5 victory in the third round against the #3 team as well.

Laguna Blanca v. Bishop Diego: 15-3 Win

This was the most complete performance of the season for Laguna Blanca tennis, with the team having come out of the trials of the last week-and-a-half battle-hardened.

Both Oliver Tande and Mason Berg swept their singles matches, taking quality victories over freshman standout, Lucas Forry. In doubles, it was a clean sweep for the Owls, a first on the season. Sophomores Connor Murphy and Changzheng Yu battled through a tough tie-break win in the first round against the Bishop #3 team, before building nicely to 6-1 and 7-5 victories against the #2 and #1 teams (respectively).

What’s next for the Owls?

Laguna will close out the season with a TVL match against St. Bonaventure High School of Ventura, to be played at Furukawa Tennis Gardens in Hope Ranch, 3:30pm. With a win, the Owls would finish the season 6-6 overall, meeting the pre-season goal laid out for the mostly freshmen and sophomore team by coaching staff.

Laguna Ends First Half of Season 3-4 Overall

The Owls entered spring break off the back of an 8-1 win at Santa Maria High School, led by Mason Berg and Oliver Tande at #1 doubles and Keanu Christiansen debuting at #1 singles.

The win broke a two-match slide, with Laguna suffering a tough 6-12 loss with playoffs implications against Villanova Prep. The match may have just come too early in the season, as the Owls dropped a number of 4-6 and 5-7 sets against the more experienced team from Ojai.

Prior to that match, Laguna faced Foothill Tech, a team with no weakness across their lineup, and the likely heir to Cate’s title as league champions. A bright spot in the match was senior Mason Berg’s 6-3 victory over Foothill #2 player, fellow senior James Sokoloski.

The post-spring break Tri-Valley League matches come fast and furious, with 5 scheduled in the final two weeks of the season, with the Owls looking to finish strong to secure the season goal of a .500 overall win/loss record.

Laguna Blanca Boys’ Tennis Off to 2-1 Start in Young Season

It’s not just the season that’s young at Laguna Blanca: the team is compromised almost entirely of freshmen and sophomores, with just one senior and one junior added in for good measure.

Despite their youthful composition, the Owls are off to a solid start to the season, taking two-of-three matches against non-league opponents in the opening weeks of play.

Laguna Blanca @ Orcutt Academy: 7-2 Win

Laguna Blanca boys’ tennis won its first match of the season against Orcutt Academy, 7-2. The Owls traveled to Alan Hancock College in Santa Maria for the match, played using the CIF Central Section scoring format.

In singles, Laguna nearly swept, winning 5-of-6 sets, with the #1 spot a hard-fought 4-8 loss. Freshman Oliver Tande held up under pressure for an 8-6 win at the #2 position, while classmate Keanu Christiansen record an 8-0 win at the #5 position. Sophomore team captain Noah Mitev came from behind to register an 8-6 win at #3 singles, followed by an 8-4 win from his classmate Enzo Vinoly.

In doubles, the Owls top team of Tande/Vinoly lost a tight 7-9 pro-set, while Mitev and freshman Wyatt Burt picked up the 8-6 win.

Laguna Blanca @ Santa Ynez: 2-7 Loss

Despite the scoreboard, the Owls came very close to pulling off the upset in Santa Ynez, with experience seeming to make the difference in close sets.

With doubles played first, captains Mason Berg and Noah Mitev battled gamely, but were unable to overcome the tournament-level experience of the Santa Ynez #1 team of Bryce Wilczak and Lucas Doman.

The #2 and #3 doubles positions offered better opportunities for victory, but it was not to be. Freshman/sophomore combo Oliver Tande/Enzo Vinoly got off to a slow start and were not able to make up enough ground, falling 6-8. Meanwhile, on court 3, junior/sophomore combo Lucas Ayala/Connor Murphy held a 7-4 lead before Santa Ynez came charging back for a 9-7 win.

In singles play, Laguna got wins from Tande and fellow freshman Wyatt Burt at the #2 and #6 positions, respectively. Tande was particularly impressive, with a surgical performance that saw him upset a higher-rated Doman (6-3, 6-2).

Freshman Keanu Christian held a 4-1 first-set lead before succumbing 6-7, 4-6 in a very close match at #5 singles, while sophomores Noah Mitev and Enzo Vinoly both dropped competitive matches at #3 and #4 singles (5-7, 4-6; 4-6, 3-6, respectively).

Laguna Blanca v. Cabrillo/Lompoc: 13-5 Win

After falling to Santa Ynez on Tuesday, Laguna Blanca Boys’ Tennis rebounded sharply yesterday, earning a 13-5 win over visiting Cabrillo High School of Lompoc.

The match featured a near-sweep of the singles sets, with captain Mason Berg picking up his first 3 wins of the season, along with 3 from freshman Oliver Tande, who is now 5-0 on the season in singles play. Freshman Wyatt Burt added 2 set-wins, giving the Owls an 8-1 advantage.

In doubles, no team went undefeated, with Laguna Blanca pairings Keanu Christiansen/Enzo Vinoly and Noah Mitev/Lucas Ayala both finishing 2-1 on the day. Freshman Matthew McDermott saw his first action of the season, pairing with sophomore Changzheng Yu for a 1-2 result across their three sets of play.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

We are a young team, so of course we had a few slip-ups throughout the course of these early matches, but the effort level has been high throughout. Importantly, we’re improving at a rapid rate and still managing to be competitive so far against these CIF Central Section teams in pre-season play.

We’ve got an even bigger test ahead on Monday against Arroyo Grande, but hopefully that prepares us well for our league opener against Foothill Tech next Friday. Both games will be played at home, so that should help!

Thorpe Tennis: 2023 Year-in-Review

When I wrote my last year-in-review post in early 2020, I started by mentioning my mini-camp series, which had occurred 7 times in 2019 and was to occur 9 times in 2020. How could I have known that the series would be sidelined by COVID-19 and how much my life would be re-shaped.

In this next section, I used to write how many days I taught tennis during the year and my longest stretch of consecutive days taught (260 and 55 days in 2019, respectively). In 2023, I worked 365 days of the year at my new business, Casas Thorpe (have you ever been called at 3am by a guest who got drunk and locked themselves out of your Airbnb in another country?). However, I still found time to coach 36 different players between private lessons and my two high school teams at Cate and Laguna Blanca across 225 days.

Speaking of those high school teams, much has unfolded in the time since the last review. On the Laguna side, we recovered from two COVID-impacted seasons to reach the CIF D5 Semifinals in 2022 and in 2023 we finished at .500 or better for the 12th consecutive season!

On the girls side, we went just that little bit farther and took the 2023 CIF D3 Championship Title during my 15th season coaching at Cate School. This accomplishment by a very deserving group of young women is something I have hoped for and worked toward for 29 seasons of coaching high school tennis.

I take great pride in what they have achieved. It even fulfills a bit of a missed goal from my own high school career, where in 2005 I captained Palm Springs High School to a perfect 17-0 regular season record, before we suffered a devastating first round loss in the CIF D2 Playoffs. The record for Cate Girls’ Tennis this season, including playoffs? 17-0. Loop closed.

In the 2019 review, I gave a big thanks to Mark Polowczak for his help with my mini-camp series, and here again I owe him some praise. He’s now back from getting his undergrad at Texas Christian University and back in the Thorpe Tennis fold as my assistant at both schools and he played a pivotal role in our CIF Championship win this year.

In my 2019 review, I mentioned some rare personal tennis exploits, having played on clay in Argentina and Colombia for the first time and partnering with my college doubles partner, Aron Ouye, for a run to the semifinals of the Santa Barbara Open.

In 2023, we linked up again for the first time since that tournament to compete in the San Diego City Championships. While we lost to what was essentially the Estonian national team (current D1 players that were ranked 250 and 350 in the world in juniors), we were surprisingly competitive.

After that tournament, I resolved to not go 4 more years between tournaments and even entered a singles tournament for the first time since the Leslie Allen Santa Barbara Open in 2014! At the San Diego Metropolitan Open I played in the 4.5’s division and won three matches before having to default due to schedule conflict with a Cate match.

A few weeks later, my Barbarians summer league teammate Alberto Hernandez and I captured the Santa Barbara City Championships for my first-ever men’s open tournament win.

Alberto and I plan to defend our title in 2024 and Aron and I have our eyes on the Men’s 35-and-over hardcourt nationals in Arizona in April. Maybe I’ll even get the chance to play a tournament or two with Mark this year…I certainly like our chances against any other high school coaching staff!

Outside of tennis, after years of having flights cancelled and then needing to focus on my work in Merida, I finally hit my 50th country visited. Hiking hut-to-hut in Slovenia was a spectacular experience!

Also during that trip, I had the opportunity to visit Sardinia for the first time and return to Rome and Venice for the first time since childhood.

I even managed to tack on a trip to Scotland with my mom, who’d been longing to revisit that part of the world for a few decades. Can confirm, the whiskey is top-shelf, but also really enjoyed the nature!

Closer to home, I managed to survey various Mexican coastlines with my girlfriend, Maria. We spent time in Baja California Sur, Oaxaca, and Jalisco on the west coast, and took a trip up the eastern seaboard from Bacalar to Playa del Carmen.

Finally, I began to wake up from my endurance exercise slumber. Having completed 23 200-mile bike races between 2011-2019, COVID (and then building my new business in Mexico) almost completely derailed that part of my life. I realized recently that riding a bike 4,000 miles per year and doing insane 210 mile/16,500 elevation gain days (Central Coast Double Century) was a part of my identity that most of my current students didn’t even know about!

In 2023, I got back to nature and strenuous, all-day efforts, culminating in a 46.5mi/36hr backpacking effort in the Cascades from Timberline Lodge to Cascade Locks in Oregon (day 1, day 2).

Just a few weeks earlier, I’d been bitten by the bug (literally and figuratively) in the Goat Rocks Wilderness of Washington, where I and a few family members hiked a 37mi/72hr route (day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4).

My uncle Keith got to revisit his 1985 PCT Thru-Hike and pass the torch to my cousin Phil, who will attempt the same hike in 2024. I’ve signed on to do support and hike a few sections of the PCT with Phil, so I suspect we’ll revisit this topic in the 2024 year-in-review!

While my work as owner/operator of Casas Thorpe Vacation Rentals has become my primary job over the last 3 years, it’s my sincere hope that my impact on the Santa Barbara tennis community through Thorpe Tennis will continue indefinitely. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to share what I’ve learned with others through the medium of tennis. I hope to see you all on the courts in 2024!

Cate Girls’ Tennis Wins First CIF D3 Championship

Cate girls’ tennis has completed a perfect 17-0 run through their 2023 campaign, taking the CIF D3 title match over Culver City, 11-7.

The match, played in the playoff atmosphere of The Claremont Club, was a Cate-led event from start to finish.

How it Happened:

The match opened with a dominant performance from senior-captain Alyna Takahashi, who took a 6-1 win over the Culver City #1. Similarly impressive, senior-freshman combo Frances Davis and Lisa Hasebe recorded a 6-0 set-win at #2 doubles in under 15 minutes.

Cate also got wins from Claire Bianchi at #2 singles and Sophie Alijani/Elsie Davis at #3 doubles, with #1 doubles team Colette Chang/Reyna Takahashi recovering from 1-3 down to win a 1:15 set, 7-5.

After the first round, the score stood at 5-1, with the lone win for Culver City coming from their #3 player, who would finish 3-0 on the day.

Cate continued to pour on the pressure with a flurry of quick wins in the second round, going up 8-2 at one point. There was a sense of certainty in the air as the Rams closed in on the championship win.

The match began to even out in the transition between the second and third round, with Culver City not yet ready to yield. Sophomore Pyper Davis took her much higher-ranked #1 opponent to a tiebreaker, but Culver squeaked by to stay in the match just a bit longer.

Cate was not to be denied, though, with Chang and Takahashi clinching the match on the strength of a 6-0 win in the third round, giving Cate a 10th win and reason to celebrate early.

The final match on court featured Sophie Alijani and sub-in Caroline Batchelder, both seniors who started their careers at Cate together battling to make the last varsity spots as freshmen three years earlier.

Batchelder’s entrance into the match was particularly meaningful, having just endured emergency appendix surgery two weeks earlier. Batchelder had started in almost every regular season match, but had not yet been able to participate in Cate’s historic playoff run.

In a moment of karmic justice, it was Batchelder who struck the final shot of the match, attacking the net with a backhand poach that sailed crisply through the seam between the Culver City #2 team’s players for a clean winner.

The team stormed the court to celebrate the win and the title of top team in CIF D3. The perfect season was complete!

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

What an incredible run this has been with such a special group of girls. We were challenged again and again this post-season, but every time we had the answer, including today.

I was particularly impressed by the way we came out firing in this finals match. This is my first championship team, so I guess it’s a new experience for me at this level, but as a coach you just know when your team is ready for the task at hand. Today, I felt that way right away and I think that really allowed us to enjoy the moment.

It’s hard to believe that after 17 matches and 17 wins, this season is finally over, but I know we’re all going to remember this for a long time to come. This is such a satisfying end to the season and I couldn’t be more proud of my girls.

Cate Girls’ Tennis Advance to first CIF Finals since 1999 with Come-from-behind Win

The perfect season continues for Cate girls’ tennis, thanks to some late-game heroics in the face of defeat. With a 6-8 deficit to Cerritos High School in the final round-of-play, Cate rallied to sweep the last 4 sets on-court for the 10-8 win.

Cate, now 16-0 overall on the season, overcame a Cerritos 1-2 combination that featured two players who have been nationally ranked in the top-100 for their classes on multiple occasions.

How it Happened:

The match remained tight through the first two rounds, with Cerritos dominating at #1 and #2 singles as well as #1 doubles, while Cate was equally impressive at the #2 and #3 doubles positions.

Cate kept hope alive also thanks to wins from Alyna Takahashi and Pyper Davis (6-2, 6-3 respectively) over the Cerritos #3. The match was locked at 6-6 after two rounds, setting up a nail-biter finale between the #2 and #3 seeds in CIF Division 3.

In the third round, Cerritos struck first, earning a pair of 6-0 wins from their singles standouts. The winning margins stacked the 9-9 tie game-count scenario in Cerritos’ favor, meaning the only way for Cate to win would be a clean sweep of the remaining sets.

Cate doubles set about the task, resolute and upbeat. Senior/sophomore combo Sophie Alijani and Elsie Chamberlain struck first with a convincing 6-1 win. Junior/Freshman combo Colette Chang and Reyna Takahashi followed quickly with a 6-2 set over the Cerritos #3’s.

Senior/freshman duo Frances Davis and Lisa Hasebe came out of the gates hot, battling aggressively against the Cerritos #1’s, who had only dropped two games total in the previous two rounds.

It was a different story against Davis and Hasebe, who controlled the set from the net, pummeling overheads and mixing in touch volleys.

With their opponents playing “two-back,” a familiar pattern repeated over and over. Davis worked the net while Hasebe patrolled the baseline, pulling her opponents off the court with her powerful lefty forehands and setting up the Davis smash.

Both Cate girls also served aggressively, creating lots of pop-ups and free points off the serve. At 3-2, Davis managed the pressure of a break point, coming back to take the game and create separation between the two teams. Cate then broke serve and followed up with a hold to clinch the 7th doubles set-win for Cate on the day, as well as the 9-8 lead overall.

Over on the remaining singles court, sophomore Claire Bianchi was in a battle of attrition with the Cerritos #3 player. Bianchi had started slowly, going down 1-3 and facing a 40-0 deficit in the fifth game, but her will did not falter.

Bianchi settled in for the long haul, accepting that she’d need to make 15-20 shots per point to force the error from her opponent. Five points later, Bianchi had turned that game around and put the match back on serve.

The Cate sophomore extended the streak to 7 consecutive points, completely changing the momentum of the match. By 4-3, her doubles teammates had all gathered to cheer her on, adding to the intensity of the deciding match and further tilting the advantage to Cate. Bianchi emerged victorious by a 6-3 final score, lifting Cate to the 10-8 win by sheer force of will.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

This is such an incredibly hard-fought result. Cerritos was a very strong team. They’ve got two college-level singles players, an absolute wall #3 singles player, a very solid #1 and competent doubles farther down the line. That’s usually a winning combination, but 16 times this season we’ve had the answer to whatever our opponents throw at us.

I can’t overstate how hard Alyna, Pyper, and Claire worked in singles to give us the chance to squeak through with our doubles strength. They were so composed and ready for those long points.

Equally, our doubles girls had to really be focused throughout the match. Their was no room for error, with our team essentially starting down 0-6 in singles.

Lisa and Frances have only played together 3 times this season, but it’s clear they’re a dynamic pairing. We knew going in we’d have to get at least one win over the Cerritos #1 doubles team, and when Reyna and Colette went down 0-6 in the first round, it was clear that was going to be a big ask.

Lisa and Frances came through with the best doubles performance of the season to accomplish that for us today. They executed what we call “Cate Doubles” with a complete absence of fear, despite the high stakes.

The bottom line is that every Cate player put it all on the line today, from the first point to the last, to get that collective victory and a shot at our first CIF Championship. I couldn’t be more proud of the effort and the result is a bonus.

What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

Cate will play in the CIF Finals for the fourth time in program history (runner-up 1996, 1998, 1999) and first in Division 3. The match will be held at The Claremont Club in Claremont, California at 11am on Friday, November 10th.

Cate Marches into CIF Semifinals With 12-6 Win

Cate girls’ tennis (15-0 overall) has defeated defending CIF D4 Champion Mark Keppel High School (15-7 overall) by a 12-6 final score. The matchup had been highly anticipated by Cate, with Keppel opening the season as the top-seeded team in Division 3 and led by two college tennis-bound singles players. In the end, the Rams were able to overcome the singles onslaught with depth throughout the lineup, including a clean sweep of the doubles sets.

How it happened:

With Mark Keppel’s strength in the lineup tilted to the top end, Cate reshuffled the deck, pairing #2 singles player Lisa Hasebe with Frances Davis and #3 singles player Reyna Takahashi with her recent league individuals tournament partner Colette Chang. The #3 doubles pairing from Friday’s match against Fullerton (Claire Bianchi and Pyper Davis) slotted into the open singles positions.

Hasebe and Davis cruised to a quick 6-0 win at the #2 spot, while the younger Davis sister took care of business with a 6-0 set-win at #3 singles. Two more wins in doubles followed, with Chang/Takahashi taking the match-up of #1 teams 6-2, and Sophie Alijani and Elsie Chamberlain rallying from 1-2 down to win 5 consecutive games.

Though Cate was unable to get wins at #1 singles from Bianchi against Dana Kunza or #2 singles from Alyna Takahashi against Noor Abani, the team accomplished it’s objective of taking a 4-2 lead in the first round with the strategic lineup.

In the second round, Bianchi grabbed a quick 6-1 set from the Keppel #3, while doubles again swept in convincing fashion. Takahashi rattled the UTR 7 senior from Keppel, firing stinging blows to the corners off both the forehand and backhand side and serving with considerable might. The match remained locked in a back-and-forth battle to the midpoint, engaging the crowd that gathered to watch the two top players, but eventually the higher-ranked player prevailed, 6-3. Still, the Cate senior captain showed that she is amongst the best singles players in Division 3.

After two rounds, it was clear that the Cate lineup strategy was working, with Cate looking likely to sweep all three doubles positions and pick up easy victories at #3 singles. Chang and Takahashi took the overall score to 9-4 with a speedy 6-1 win the final round, followed within two minutes by the match-clinching win from Hasebe and Davis, 6-0 against the Keppel #2 team. Keppel’s top duo continued to dominate, making the score 10-6, though partially off-set by Alyna Takahashi’s 6-0 third-round win to make 11-6.

The final match on-court was Mark Keppel’s top doubles team facing Cate’s #3’s. Alijani and Chamberlain got off to a flying start, winning 5 of the first 6 games on aggressive net-play, but the match momentum swung back in the other direction as Keppel settled in and took advantage of a few Cate errors. At 5-4, Alijani/Chamberlain regained their focus and closed the door, completing the 9-0 doubles sweep on the day for Cate tennis.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

I’m so proud of my girls for their performance today. They played their hearts out, stuck to our game-plan, and had complete faith in each other and in what we were trying to do to win the match.

We have had this Keppel team in our sights the entire season, since they were the defending CIF Champions and had such a strong 1-2 combo in the singles lineup. We have a lot of strength at the top of our lineup, too, but our normal singles lineup wasn’t going to get it done in this particular situation.

I got together with our assistant coach, Mark Polowczak, and our captains Alyna and Sophie, and we worked out the best lineup to handle this particular matchup. Conveniently, Reyna and Colette just spent a week playing doubles together for TVL Individuals, where they earned first-team all-league honors. Lisa and Frances had also played together in one match earlier in the season, so we knew that was a combo we could go back to if needed.

We also know that both Claire and Pyper are probably even better singles players than they are in doubles, with a combined record of 21-4 in singles play during the regular season. Moving them into the singles lineup wasn’t anything new and they were both excited to take on that responsibility.

The bottom line is, Cate girls’ tennis is 100% committed to the team result, however we can best achieve it. We know that every single playoff school in our CIF Division is bigger than ours, but it’s unlikely we’ll face a team that’s more close-knit or dedicated to each other. This is how mountains get moved!

What’s next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

Cate travels to Cerritos High School on Wednesday for a CIF Semifinal match scheduled to begin at 2pm. Cerritos (17-3 overall) entered the playoffs as the #3-seeded team, with Cate (15-0 overall) slightly favored as the #2 seed. The winner will play for the CIF D3 Championship against either Oaks Christian or Culver City on Friday, November 10th at The Claremont Club.

Cate Advances to CIF Quarterfinals with Pair of Wins

Cate girls’ tennis has reached the CIF D3 Quarterfinal round today with a 10-8 victory at Fullerton High School. The win comes after a convincing 15-3 first-round victory against visiting Hoover High School on Wednesday. Cate moves to 14-0 this season and will now face last year’s CIF D4 Champions, Mark Keppel, in what is sure to be a more tightly-contested match.

Cate v. Hoover: 15-3 Win

Cate dominated the match from start-to-finish, taking the opening round 5-1 and never looking back. Sisters Alyna and Reyna Takahashi swept their 6 sets, while recently-crowned TVL singles champion Lisa Hasebe went 2-0 before being substituted.

In doubles play, Frances Davis and Colette Chang paired for 3 wins, while Sophie Alijani/Pyper Davis and Claire Bianchi/Elsie Chamberlain added 2 sets each.

Cate @ Fullerton: 10-8 Win

The #2-seeded Cate girls team faced stiffer competition from Fullerton High today. After traveling more than 3 hours, Cate came out flat in doubles early. However, Sophie Alijani and Elsie Chamberlain battled back from 0-4 down for a 6-4 win that would prove important down the road. Cate faired better in singles, with senior Alyna Takahashi defeating the #1 Abigail Kelly (6-2), while Lisa Hasebe and Reyna Takahashi also won their sets.

Cate maintained a small lead through the second round, with the teams locked in a 7-5 battle at the turn. Alyna and Reyna Takahashi closed the door on Fullerton with 6-0 and 6-2 wins, giving Cate a 9-5 advantage and an insurmountable lead in games (in the event of a tie in sets).

Fullerton battled on for another half-hour, taking the final singles set and two more close doubles sets, before senior Frances Davis and junior Colette Chang stemmed the losing streak. Davis and Chang returned to the form that saw them sweep on Wednesday, winning the final 5 games to earn Cate a 10th win to close out the match.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

Even as the #2-seeded team, we’ve been really focused on taking things one match at a time. It’s a good thing, too, because Fullerton was a really strong team with a lot of depth. We’re pleased to come through this round and looking forward to playing last year’s D4 CIF Champions on Monday at Cate.

I am particularly impressed by the way Alyna has been holding it down for us at #1 singles. She’s playing on another level right now and it’s great when a senior captain can lead by example.

I’m also really pleased by the way every single player on the team battled today, even when they were behind in sets. We’re definitely going to need to bring that intensity throughout next week to earn ourselves a shot at the CIF Championship. It’s all or nothing and we’re all in it together!

What’s next for Cate Tennis?

Cate returns to action on Monday against visiting Mark Keppel High School. Play will begin at or before 2pm.

Cate Girls Dominate TVL Individuals Tournament

Cate claimed the top two singles positions in TVL Individuals, while all six Cate players in the tournament achieved first-team all-league honors.

Singles Play

It was a battle between two undefeated Cate players for the Tri-Valley League Singles Title. Alyna Takahashi came in as the #1 seed, boasting a 16-0 league record. The senior was looking to go one step farther after finishing runner-up in last year’s tournament. It was not to be though, as freshman Lisa Hasebe (now 21-0 in league singles play) brought her highest level to the all-Cate final.

Hasebe jumped to a 3-0 lead early, although the points themselves were anything but uneven. Both players went deep into the rallies, pushing each other from corner to corner and probing for weak points. Takahashi regrouped after the tough start, eventually turning the first set to her advantage when she took a 5-4 lead with multiple stinging blows crosscourt from the forehand side to Hasebe’s backhand.

Again though, the momentum shifted as the freshman blended her own aggressive play with a mix of heavy topspin balls and drop-shots. Hasebe not only took the first set (7-5), but pushed on to gain a 4-1 lead in the second set. Again, Takahashi grinded her way back into the match with some big serving this time and then a break as Hasebe suddenly became a bit more tentative. With the Hasebe now leading just 5-4, the two traded points on Hasebe’s serve until the standout freshman closed out the match 6-4 in the second set.

Doubles Play

Cate was simultaneously in action on the doubles end of the tournament, with junior/freshman combo Colette Chang/Reyna Takahashi taking on the defending champions from Foothill Tech, junior/senior combo Julia Geib/Lola Tennison. Chang and Takahashi are a much newer combo, having only played 5 matches total together after injury curtailed the majority of both of their 2023 seasons.

Despite the new partnership, Chang and Takahashi battled gamely, pushing to an early 3-2 lead against Geib and Tennison, whose TVL unbeaten-streak goes back to the 2021 season. The momentum shifted with a few double faults from the Cate team at crucial moments, and the Foothill team was able to turn the first set around for a 6-4 win. The second set was much the same, with Chang and Takahashi on the attack, but unable to get a significant edge. Foothill pulled away in the end, taking the last 3 games of the second set for a 6-3 victory.

Cate’s #2 doubles team, seniors Sophie Alijani and Frances Davis met a similar fate in the semifinal round, losing 3-6, 3-6 to Foothill, but had a much better result in the battle for 3rd place and the last first-team all-league spot. Alijani and Davis faced Laguna Blanca’s top doubles duo, seniors Grace Trautwein and Lucia Camp. The Cate seniors came out on top with a 6-2, 6-1 showing.

What’s next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

Cate will begin its attempt to unify the CIF D3 titles, with Cate’s boys’ team having won the championship in spring of 2023. The unbeaten girls’ team will begin their run on November 1st, likely at home due to their position as the #1-seeded team in the tournament. Subsequent matches will be November 3rd, 6th, 8th, and 10th, assuming the team remains undefeated to the end of CIF Playoffs.

Cate Moves to #1 Seed in CIF Division 3 Ahead of Playoffs

Cate Girls’ Tennis has just been moved into the top position in CIF’s weekly polling of the top teams in each division. The team has steadily progressed throughout the season, first appearing at the #8 position, then #5, then #4.

Following the completion of an undefeated 12-0 season, with wins against multiple ranked teams and CIF Division 1 and 2 foes, the new polling list validates what has been a spectacular season. The playoffs, beginning in just over a week, offer perhaps the best opportunity in over 20 years for Cate girls’ tennis to win a CIF Team Title.

In the meantime, Cate will be hosting the Tri-Valley League Individuals Tournament this week, with Cate garnering many of the top seeds in that event.

In singles, Cate’s Alyna Takahashi and Lisa Hasebe will line up on opposite sides of the draw as the top seeds of the tournament. Both are undefeated this season in league singles play.

In doubles, Cate’s Colette Chang and Reyna Takahashi claim the #2-seed based on Takahashi’s undefeated singles record in league player and Chang’s status as a two-time all-league doubles player. Following closely behind as the #3-seed, senior duo Sophie Alijani and Frances Davis will look to continue their 13-0 mark as a team this season.

The team has been working hard to prepare for both playoffs and the individual tournaments coming up, and had a host of extra practice partners on-hand last Friday for “family practice.”