GILROY – With the Tri County Athletic League championships right
around the corner, Gilroy High girls varsity tennis coach Jami
Reynolds decided to switch up her normal rotation for the final
regular season match against San Benito on Thursday.
GILROY – With the Tri County Athletic League championships right around the corner, Gilroy High girls varsity tennis coach Jami Reynolds decided to switch up her normal rotation for the final regular season match against San Benito on Thursday.
It was only fitting that on senior day, the Mustangs usual No.1 singles player Meha Munshi and No.2 player Alissa Castro – both seniors – were paired together in the No. 1 doubles slot.
“My goal was to get the doubles ready for TCALs,” Reynolds said.
Although there were some bright sports throughout, the Mustangs were unable to stop a skilled Lady Balers team, losing 7-0 to close out the regular season.
Jennifer Kwong, who normally plays at No.3 singles and has put together a solid season, moved up to the No.1 slot Thursday and faced a very tough Hayley Barker who’s rocket serve proved difficult for Kwong to contend with. The match featured quality shots from both players as Barker came away with a 6-1, 6-1 win.
“Being No. 1 is very hard and very nerve racking,” Reynolds said. “You are on center court and everyone is watching. I think Jennifer handled it very well. She kept in the points a lot longer than usual.”
Munshi and Castro settled into their match after dropping the first set 6-0. Behind a strong serve from Castro the team took game one, then broke serve the next, on their way to a quick 3-0 advantage. Unfortunately the experience of the Balers’ tandem of Vanessa Casalegno and Chelsea Yoakum began to shine though as they took over the second set and secured the match victory 6-0, 6-4.
Casalegno and Yoakum have won 41 consecutive regular-season matches, dating back to their sophomore year, Balers coach Ed Cecena said.
“This is the first time we played an official match as a team,” Castro said. “I think we did pretty good for our first time. It was difficult getting used to it and we weren’t as aggressive at the net. We wanted to see how we could do against them. I think we will do well at TCALs.”
The Mustangs No.2 doubles pair of Melanie Morelos and Elaina Vasquez turned around their sluggish start to take a 4-3 lead after falling behind 3-0. Eventually, though they ran out of steam and lost the first set 6-4. They faced the same fate in set 2, losing 6-4.
Despite the defeat, Reynolds is optimistic that her team will be ready to tackle the TCALs and was glad they had Thursday’s match to iron out some of the wrinkles.
“It’s a good learning experience,” Reynolds said. “I’d rather lose to them now than at TCALs. It was a good test for the girls to see where they stand.”
The championships begin Monday in Salinas.
