Coach Steve Geremia expects Santa Barbara High’s top nine players to play at a high level al the time, but it was the other six that really impressed him in a 15-3 win over rival San Marcos (3-3, 1-1) Thursday.
“I’m really proud of the way they came out and competed,” he said. “We’re trying to build on our younger players, and seeing the court just really encourages them to compete.”
In the singles, it was freshman Caran Mjelde (1-0) and sophomores Savannah Fox (1-0) and Stephanie Thornton (1-1) who came in and did the job off the bench. In the doubles, the sophomore twin tandem of Talia and Ariana Hudson won their set and impressed their coach.
Next up for the Dons (7-0, 3-0) is a crucial matchup in the chase for the Channel League title as Dos Pueblos awaits on Tuesday.
“We’re not going to beat ourselves. They’re going to have to beat us,” said Geremia.
SANTA BARBARA 15, SAN MARCOS 3
Singles—SB: Beckerman 2-0, Mjelde 1-0, Decker-Sadowski 2-0, Rahranicky-Galitzer 1-0, Thornton 1-1. SM: JMannix 1-2, Katsev 0-3, Badat 0-3. Doubles — SB: Broida-Garrison 0-1, Toner-Langhorne 0-1, Langhorne-Broida 1-0, Miller-Ludwick 2-0, THudson-AHudson 1-0, Grokenberger-McKeown 3-0. SM: Zylstra-Kinsella 1-2, Ransohoff-Pearson 1-2, Morris-Battle 0-3. Records—SM 3-3, 1-1. SB 7-0, 3-0.
