One of Dos Pueblos’ most successful seasons of all-time in girls tennis wrapped up against a powerful La Quinta team on Tuesday, as the Chargers were defeated 13-5 in the desert.
DP finished the season at 19-4, while the Blackhawks advance to the Division 2 semifinals at 15-2.
The Chargers were strong in doubles play, as the teams of Oriane Matthys-Nicoletta Bradley and Amy Sagraves-Amy Logan each picked up a pair of set wins and the combo of Sofia Pasternack-Anna Slyutova collected DP’s other point. Senior Melissa Dahl joined Slyutova in another doubles set and lost a hard-fought set 6-4.
“We rose to the occasion and gave everything we had in the match,” said coach Liz Frech. “The team remained focused, energized and kept its feet bouncing.”
In singles, Lauren Stratman, Erica Cano, Nicole Eskenazi, and Shelbi Nigh took on a trio very highly ranked juniors: Pam Montez (#1 in the Girls 18’s), Alexa Lee (#36 in the Girls 18’s), and Jaci West (#56 in the Girls 18’s). The Chargers couldn’t snag a set off of the Blackhawks, but Frech said the set scores didn’t indicate how tough her players played. DP was without three players who had academic commitments.
“In the end, we were disappointed by the loss but went proudly home and bonded together, stopping at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner,” said Frech.
Stratman and Cano will move on individually to Saturday’s sectionals at Cate School.
DP Overall Record: 19-4
La Quinta Overall Record: 15-2
LA QUINTA 13, DOS PUEBLOS 5
Singles
DP:Erica Cano 0-3, Lauren Stratman 0-3, Nicole Eskenazi 0-2, Shelbi Nigh 0-1.
La Quinta: Pam Montez 3-0, Alexa Lee 3-0, Jaci West 3-0.
Doubles
Dos Pueblos: Oriane Matthys/Nicoletta Bradley 2-1, Sofia Pasternack/Anna Slyutova 1-1, Amy Sagraves/Amy Logan 2-1, Melissa Dahl/Anna Slyutova 0-1.
La Quinta:
Megan Lester/Katherine Dickerson 3-0, Natalie Graham/Tatum Kanter 1-2, Tiffany Kanter/Ana Al-Sarabi 0-3.
Records—La Quinta 15-2, DP 19-4.
