Boys tennis team off to 2-0 start in league under first-year
coach
GILROY – The Mustang tennis team has sprung into action this season, already winning two league games, including Thursday’s 5-2 match victory over visiting North Salinas.
First-year head coach Chris Wolowier has Gilroy off to a 2-0 start in the Tri-County Athletic League since taking over this season for the departed Chris Yoder.
“I’m happy about that. It definitley helps with a new coach coming in,” said Wolowier, also a first-year mathematics teacher at Gilroy High School. “What I’m looking for from these guys is to play loose, play their game, and just go for it.”
And that is what the Mustangs have done in the early going.
Anchored this year by their three doubles teams, the Mustangs followed up a 4-3 edging of Hollister on Tuesday with a convincing win on their home turf over the Vikings.
Juniors Peter Adams and Anthony Christian return to the courts for Gilroy, moving into the top doubles position. The two lost only one league match as a team last season, and has two wins this season, including a 6-0, 6-4 nod over North Salinas’ Chandler Canepa and Andrew Weinberg.
Sophomores Chris Adams and Julian Mireles, who recorded their second straight victory with a 6-1, 6-0 tally over Vikings’ Peter Song and Seung Lee, make up the second unit, while sophomores Anthony Onagotto and Alex Santa Maria, who won by default at home after their earlier triumph in Hollister, are the third pairing.
“We have a wide range of ability. … and all the new guys who are coming out are natural athletes,” said Wolowier, who played scholastic tennis at West Lake High School in Southern California. “It’s been a while since I’ve been around tennis, but it’s all coming back.”
Senior Christian Rivera sits atop the Mustang singles line-up, picking up his second victory of the season with a 6-1, 6-3 decision over North Salinas’ Daniel Kutter. Junior Ryan McBrearty, a returning varsity swatter, is in the No. 2 position, while freshman standout Ben Wilson is starting at the No. 3 spot, beating Vikings’ Curtis Canapa by a 6-2, 6-4 spread.
“He’s a freshman who plays like he’s a senior,” said Wolowier of Wilson. “He doesn’t hold back or tighten up.”
Senior Andres Sandoval rounds out the line-up in the No. 4 singles position for the Mustangs.
Gilroy, which will make up a non-league rainout against Aptos on April 7, will continue league play with Tuesday’s home match against Palma at 3:30 p.m.
