The next test in what has already been a season for the ages for the East High girls tennis team began a new chapter Tuesday. The Blades, who went 27-0 in the regular season, hosted Wasco in a CIF Central Section Division III first-round playoff match.
East, South Yosemite Mountain League champions at 8-0 and the No. 2 seed in the division, easily passed their first test, a 9-0 sweep of the Tigers, who entered as the 15th seed and were the third-place team from the South Sequoia League. Wasco’s team season ended with a 19-7 record.
“Before the match, I told them nothing takes away from 27-0, but unfortunately, and not to put pressure on you, but you can’t go 27-0 and lose your first-round match at home,” East tennis coach Marty Martinez said. “And now, I told them that I’m proud of them, that I’m happy that they’ve now got a playoff win, and in D3 because that’s a higher level than usual for East High.”
The playoff match was a first for every team member. Trying to treat a playoff match in as much the same way as any other prior to Tuesday was a great plan mentally. About the only thing that kind of went astray for the Blades (28-0) came in the No. 1 doubles match.
Arianna Aguilar and Amalin Rickard came away with the victory over Wasco’s Abril Ruiz and Alexus Rodriguez, but the East duo was up 5-1, before it went 8-8 and required a tiebreaker to settle it. Aguilar and Pickard, who had not played together before Tuesday, won 7-0 on tiebreaker points.
“Honestly, it did not affect me. I knew I could keep going,” Aguilar said when asked if the lengthy doubles match would be a factor when she then had to turn around and play a singles match. “No, I get better the longer I play. Stamina wise, that’s my zone.”
East’s No. 2 and No. 3 doubles teams of Gia Gutierrez and Valentina Garcia and Jocelyn Sandoval and Aimee Guerrero, respectively, both won their matches 8-1 to give East a sweep and some confidence heading to singles play.
This is where East ran away from the Tigers. Aguilar defeated Ruiz, 6-3, 6-0 at No. 1 singles. Sandoval went 6-0, 6-1 against Rodriguez. Gia Gutierrez blanked Wasco’s Yatzary Orpineda, and Garcia topped Moreno 6-1, 6-1. Alina Leyva and Annye Rodarte, who both only played singles for East, lost only one game apiece in matches against Wasco’s Kiki Wilson and Dairy Paz to complete the big playoff-opening win.
Being the No. 2 seed does provide East the privilege of hosting a second-round match on Thursday. East is scheduled to play the winner of Tuesday’s No. 7 seed Sanger West and No. 10 seed Yosemite match. The Thursday match is scheduled for 4 p.m., but East and Wasco mutually agreed to move their match to a 2 p.m. start. A final decision is expected on Wednesday.
