GHS girls tennis opens with 6-1 victory
GILROY – Senior Katie Blomquist traded in night matches in the gym for day matches under the sun this season, as she converted from volleyball player to tennis player.
With a net still to hit over, Blomquist made any easy transition – winning her first varsity tennis match by a wide 8-0 margin in Tuesday’s home opener against Seaside.
“I was really surprised she did well,” said Lady Mustangs’ head coach Jennifer Yoder of Blomquist, who practiced doubles not singles. “She played a pretty good singles match.”
Blomquist’s win assisted the Gilroy High girls tennis team in defeating visiting Seaside by a 6-1 spread.
Top singles Valerie Huang also won her bout against Tiffany Kuwatani, 8-6. The Lady Mustangs only match loss came at the No. 2 position as senior Megan Leuchars faltered 6-8 to Seaside’s Alysia Mess.
Tasha Lo Porto, Gilroy’s No. 3 singles player, beat Seaside’s Jessica Yi with a score of 8-3 and Blomquist won in the No. 4 spot.
The Lady Mustangs swept all three doubles bouts.
The top tandem of seniors Katherine Wilson and Mindy Marquez won their match by an 8-2 spread over Seaside’s Valen Hermiz and Cassandra McComb.
“We kind of went out there expecting to win,” Wilson said. “We have high expectations.”
Wilson and Marquez took all but one of their matches last year and are hoping to go all the way to T-CALs this year.
“We’re great together, but we have to work more so that we have a more secure win,” Marquez said. “We just need to get back our rhythm we had last year.”
The No. 2 doubles unit of Amy Thomas and Jennessa Locklin defeated opponents Mauri Homiltow and Jennifer Han, 8-1.The No. 3 duo of Jackie Morales and Anna Nguyen also won their match 8-0 over Jihye Park and Desiree Ferrer.
“I think they did really well,” Yoder said of her entire squad. “They did what I expected them to do.”
The Lady Mustangs will play in a Singles Jamboree at North Salinas on Sept. 16 and then a Doubles Jamboree at Live Oak on Sept. 23.
