Bishop Diego’s newly shuffled lineup nearly did the trick in toppling first-place Villanova in boys tennis on Thursday, but a few too many unforced errors led to a key set loss in singles as the Wildcats prevailed 10-8. Charlie Taylor and Matthew Grimes also dropped a set in doubles, which was surprising to coach Ray “Slash” Vazquez.
“They’re still figuring out the chemistry of playing together, and they’re getting better at it. But I’m telling you now, those two kids have a good chance to win the Frontier League title in doubles,” he said.
While the loss all but eliminates the chance of back-to-back league titles, Vazquez likes the way his team is playing overall. He was particularly proud of Tim Illgen and Nick Lensander, who went 3-0 in doubles.
The Cardinals play at Carpinteria on Monday before hosting Santa Clara on Tuesday and playing at Villanova on Wednesday.
VILLANOVA 10, BISHOP DIEGO 8
Singles — V: Hisashi Nomoto 3-0, Patrick Lenz 3-0, Tony Kuo 2-1. BD: Sean Stratford-Jones 0-3, Eduardo Colasante 0-3, Nick Mathis 1-2. Doubles — BD: Tim Illgen-Nick Lensander 3-0, Charlie Taylor-Matt Grimes 2-1, Nolan Tisdale-Andre Kohansamad 2-1. V 5-0, 3-2.
