Morales, Nguyen clinch GHS girls tennis team’s 4-3 win over
powerhouse Notre Dame
GILROY – The pressure was mounting and an upset was in the works Tuesday as the Lady Mustang tennis team split the first six bouts with nine-time defending league champion Notre Dame.
The fate of the Gilroy High team now laid on its No. 2 doubles unit of senior Jackie Morales and junior Anna Nguyen. The tandem had dropped their first set 6-7 by virtue of a 3-7 tiebreaker loss – but bounced back with a 6-3 second-set nod to push their match to a decisive third set. With players, parents and coaches from both sides watching in anticipation, Morales and Nguyen sealed the upset by finishing off their opponents, 6-4.
“They had fun. They were laughing. They were smiling. They were just having a good time,” said head coach Jennifer Yoder of her No. 2 duo. “To me, they did not appear nervous. They seemed very confident that they could definitely get the job done and they did.”
The thrilling 4-3 match victory on the Gilroy High courts pushed the Lady Mustangs (3-0 in T-CAL) into first place and handed the Lady Spirits (2-1) their first league loss in years.
“These girls, they want it. I’m only out there supporting them. They do the work. I think they were up for it. They wanted it bad. I don’t even have words to express the match,” Yoder said. “The girls got up. They were all happy. They ran up to Anna and Jackie and gave them big hugs. They had never come close to beating Notre Dame. It kinda gave me the chills. I was pumped.”
The ball did not bounce Gilroy’s way in the early going as Notre Dame won three first-set tiebreakers and another second-set tiebreaker. The Lady Mustangs were down, but they were not out.
The singles bouts finished up first with winning three of four. Senior No. 3 Mindy Marquez cruised to a 6-3, 6-4 decision and junior No. 4 Tasha LoPorto claimed a 6-2, 6-4 victory for Gilroy.
“(Marquez) played a strong, easy match. She seemed in control the whole time,” Yoder said. “I had confidence in (LoPorto). She was playing good. She had some good serves and just had a great attitude.”
In the No. 1 singles bout, senior Valerie Huang faltered in straight sets, 3-6, 1-6. But senior No. 2 Catherine Wilson fought off a second-set lapse for a 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) victory to give the Lady Mustangs a chance. Wilson was up 4-1 in the second set before losing four straight games to fall behind 5-4. The senior leader regrouped to take the tiebreaker – clinching on a lob deep to the back-hand side.
Gilroy’s senior doubles duo of Amy Thomas and Alicia Shurley fell 6-7 (4-7), 4-6 in the No. 1 position, while the No. 3 tandem of Katie Bloomquist and Alyssa Perez were edged 6-7 (4-7), 6-7 (3-7).
Up next, the Lady Mustangs will play host to North Salinas on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. before taking on rival Live Oak on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
“We’ve got a lot more matches. You’ve got to play each match tough and hard and don’t think about the future. When it comes to titles and wins, you have to first earn it,” Yoder said. “The girls played awesome… They have heart and great attitudes.”
