An amazing era of Carpinteria High girls tennis came to end on Friday in the second round of the CIF Division 2 playoffs. The Warriors ran into a tough Laguna Beach squad and dropped a 14-4 decision against the No. 3 seed.
“The score sounds lopsided but we had many very close sets,” said Carpinteria coach Charles Bryant.
Kelsie Bryant suffered her first loss of the season, losing to Summer Dvorak, the No. 7-ranked player in California, 6-2. “This match was extremely close, with many incredible points and all but one game going to deuce, and that was Kelsie’s game,” said coach Bryant.
Bryant came back to win her next two sets. She finishes the year with a record of 51-1.
Carpinteria fell behind 5-1 after the first round of sets.
“It easily could have been 4-2 in our favor as we lost a few late leads,” coach Bryant said. “The second round saw us drop four of the six sets to put ourselves in an almost impossible scenario in the final round. Again, we had many close sets and I think many of them went the Breakers way due to the tournament experience many of their players had.”
Coach Bryant has guided the Warriors the last four seasons, leading them three CIF finals and two championships in Division 5. This was their first year in Division 2.
“I cannot begin to tell you how extremely fortunate and proud to be associated with this group of girls,” he said. “I am not a historian but I do believe these past four years have been the best even in Carpinteria High School winning two CIF championships and a runner up finish in another. This amazing group of dedicated, selfless, determined and fun girls can never be replaced. They all deserve the highest recognition.”
The Carpinteria seniors include Kelsie Bryant, Gabi Montes De Oca, Elie Morgan, Makenna Pike, Emily Saito, Natalie Saito, Merissa Souza and Lesly Zapata.
“The four years went by so quickly and they accomplished more than anyone ever could have imagined,” said coach Bryant.
