Following the 25th-ranked Westmont women’s tennis team’s defeat of Hope International by a score of 9-0 on Friday, head coach Kathy LeSage informed her team that she was unsatisfied with their performance and was going to conduct a long, hard practice over the weekend.
After momentarily letting those words hang in the ensuing silence, the coach proclaimed, “April Fools, I gotcha’.”
The team responded with laughter and relief.
LeSage mixed up her lineup for the Golden State Athletic Conference match, finding playing time for everyone on the roster.
“Tara and I didn’t play doubles so it was nice to watch the girls play at one and two, everyone moving up a spot,” said team captain and No. 1 singles player Ilissa Mathews. “It was good to see that they can easily compete with Hope. It was nice being a spectator and seeing the improvement in my teammates’ play. They have definitely become a lot more aggressive.”
At No. 1 doubles, Sarah Louie and Sarah Chhum defeated Patricia Espinosa and Grace Marroquin 8-2. On court number two, Louissa Bakker and Ari Stork earned an 8-3 victory over Katrina Rosales and Kasey Harman. The Royals did not field a third doubles team, giving Leah Smith and Alegra Aulie a forfeit win.
In singles, Mathews defeated Espinosa 6-0, 6-0. Smith won by the same score on court No. 5, defeating Gypsy Flores. At No. 2 singles, Tara Yekrang defeated Marroquin 6-1, 6-1 while at No. 3, Aulie earned a 6-0, 6-1 win over Katrina Rosales. Stork won the final match of the day 6-1, 6-4 at No. 4, while Bakker was awarded a forfeit win at No. 6.
With the win, the Warriors improved to 5-11 on the season and 5-8 in conference play. Hope International fell to 0-15 overall and 0-11 in the GSAC.
The Warriors return to action on Saturday, April 9 when they host the No. 3 Sea Lions of Point Loma Nazarene (11-1, 7-1 GSAC)
