The Santa Barbara High boys tennis team lost for the first time this season to Palos Verdes by the narrowest margin possible, as the game was tied 9-9 and the Dons lost 86-85 on total games won.
Going into the match, Palos Verdes was ranked fourth in CIF Division I while Santa Barbara was ranked fifth.
“Palos Verdes is a strong team with no weaknesses in their line up, so we had to compete for every single point throughout the day, and our guys did just that,” Dons coach Greg Tebbe said.
The match was every bit as close as the team’s rankings would suggest. The score was tied 3-3 after the first round and 6-6 after the second. Going into the final match, the Dons were up 9-8 and the game score was tied at 79. Palos Verdes won the final match 8-6 via a tiebreaker to win the game.
“This match is just what we needed to help get us ready for the last part of the season and the playoffs,” Tebbe said.
The Dons (8-1) will play at Ventura tomorrow.
RESULTS:
Santa Barbara 9 (85)
Singles:
Nico Pollero 1-2
Graham Maassen 3-0
Mitchell Kuhn 0-3
Doubles:
Morgan Hale / Jack Damen 2-1
Logan Liddell / Avery Chernin 2-1
Austin Trevillian / Jordan Rodnick 1-2
Palos Verdes 9 (86)
Singles:
J. Douglass 2-1
J. Gong 2-1
T. Wong 1-2
Doubles:
D. Hult / B. Landon 2-1
N. Spelta / K. Mukai 1-2
N. Spelta / D. Miller 1-2
