In the first round of the CIF Division-2 playoffs, Cate’s girls tennis team was defeated 12-6 by second-seeded Murrieta Valley on Wednesday.
Heading into the match, The Nighthawks were undefeated on the season at 19-0. The team featured a lineup with no weak points and three players with high national rankings. Murrieta Valley was runner-up in CIF Division 3 last season.
“I was really impressed by the fight my girls put up today,” said Cate head coach Trevor Thorpe.
In singles play, the Rams were led by a strong performance from Julia Gan. The junior picked up a nice 6-3 win against Serbian transfer Jovana Kuljanin.
In doubles, the duo of McKenna Madden and Summer Christensen went 2-1 on the day. Seniors Kate Dehlendorf and Victoria Herman added a 6-1 victory for Cate.
With the loss, the Rams finish up the season with a record of 12-4 overall. They won a CIF playoff match on Tuesday in the wild-card round.
Later this month, Gan and Madden will be competing as a doubles team in CIF individuals for Cate.
