Dos Pueblos’ Patrick Corpuz won two of three sets on Tuesday against Santa Barbara High. (Presidio Sports Photos)
Dos Pueblos’ boys tennis team toppled perennial Channel League power Santa Barbara High on Tuesday afternoon, handing the Dons their first league loss in 115 matches in a 10-8 decision.
The Dons, a program that has won at least a share of 47 of the last 48 league titles, had recorded 13-straight unbeaten league seasons and had not lost a Channel League match since 2000.
“We’ve been working really hard for the past four years, and being able to finally come out here and beat Santa Barbara after losing for so many years is just really satisfying,” said Chargers senior Mason Casady, a four-year varsity player.
Patrick Corpuz clinched the team victory with his third-round victory in singles. The Chargers won 7-of-9 doubles sets, led by Casady and Johsua Wang’s 6-1, 6-0, 6-0 day.
“We were just being really consistent on our serves, volleys, and definitely our returns,” Casady said. “We weren’t making a lot of errors and just putting a lot of pressure on them.”
It was the Channel League opener for both teams.
A singles set between Dos Pueblos’ Quinn Hensley and Santa Barbara’s Matt McClintock in the first round turned out to be crucial to the outcome. Hensley fell behind 3-5 in the set but rallied to force a tiebreaker. He then had to fight back again with his back up against the wall, erasing two set points for McClintock before winning 11-9.
Dos Pueblos’ Quinn Hensley won an important set 7-6, fighting off two set points to win 11-9 in the tiebreaker.
Jackson Powell did his part for the Dons, sweeping three sets 7-5, 6-0, 6-0. His 7-5 win over Corpuz in the first round – a set that lasted an hour – kept the match even at 3-3 going into the second round.
Powell took an early 4-1 lead on Corpuz but the DP senior came back and nearly broke Powell to take a 6-5 lead and the opportunity to serve out the set. Powell won the break points and reversed the momentum to get the win.
“I like to go for my shots a little bit more so I don’t feel the nerves,” Powell said.
Santa Barbara’s High’s Miles Hale and Harry DeBoer topped Andrew Tufenkian and Miles Baldwin 6-4 in the only other set decided by less than three games.
Dos Pueblos won four of six sets in the second round to take a 7-5 lead heading into the final pairings.
In the last remaining match on the courts, Corpuz clinched the victory with an undramatic 6-1 victory over McClintock.
While it’s a big victory for Dos Pueblos, Wang reasoned that it was a long season ahead.
“I don’t think we’ll take (the win) too far,” Wang said. “I think it will give us some more confidence but we’ll definitely keep trying our best and keep playing as well as we can.”
The two teams play again on April 10 on the Dons’ courts.
Santa Barbara is still seeking its 16th-straight league championship.
“That win streak is there. It’s not going away,” said Dons head coach Greg Tebbe. “It’s there, and the whole thing – 47 of the last 48 years is pretty amazing and that’s not going away. And this year’s not done yet, we still have a chance.”
DOS PUEBLOS 10, SANTA BARBARA 8
DP Singles – Shabbar 0-3, Corpuz 2-1, Hensley 1-2. SB Singles – Hale 2-1, Powell 3-0, McClintock 1-2.
DP Doubles – Steigerwald/Yang 2-1, Casady/Wang 3-0, Tufenkian/Baldwin 2-1. SB Doubles – Hale/DeBoer 2-1, Sutton/Lender 0-3, Mercurdo/Bloomer 0-3.
