Carpinteria’s girls tennis team advanced past the first round of the Division-2 CIF playoffs on Wednesday with a tense 10-8 decision over visiting Santiago.
“This match was knotted up at 7-7 and all tied in games as well before we kicked it into another gear to win the last three of four sets,” reported Warriors head coach Charles Bryant. “I am very proud of our players as
they fought off a sluggish start to finally gain the upper hand in the
end. We had a few clutch wins in the end that sealed the deal for us.”
Carpinteria (14-5-1) won CIF championships the past two years in Division 5 but face a much tougher test this year in Division 2. Santiago has an enrollment of 4400 students compared to the Warriors’ 600.
No. 1 singles player Kelsie Bryant gave Carpinteria three points as usual, winning 6-0, 6-1, 6-0. Madison Cleek and Kathryn Blair added a win each in singles.
Carpinteria’s doubles side captured five sets as well, led by the teams of Makenna Pike/Natalie Saito and Lesly Zapata/Merissa Souza, who each won two of three sets.
The second round in Friday.
