GILROY—The chemistry between Nicole Holder and Savanna Brandon is undeniable. Gilroy’s No.1 doubles partners look like they’ve been playing together for years, but in reality this is their first season together out on the court. That’s one of the perks of playing with your best friend.
“I played singles last year and it was pretty terrible; I was so lonely,” said Holder after Tuesday’s match with Monterey. “Compared to that, this year is super amazing. It’s the best the thing that could’ve happened.”
Holder and Brandon, who have been friends since middle school, are undefeated so far this season and helped the Mustangs sweep the Toreadors in doubles play Tuesday at home. Unfortunately for Gilroy, it couldn’t notch a win in singles competition and fell 4-3.
The Mustangs’ No. 1 duo said they’re enjoying their perfect record so far, but it has definitely added pressure.
“We’re pretty excited but at the same time kind of nervous,” Brandon said. “We want to keep it going.”
Monterey took the duo to the wire in Set 1. With the game tied 6-all, both teams exchanged leads as they chased the critical match point. The Mustangs got it as they forced the Toreadors to return the ball out of bounds for the 7-6 win. The second set was much easier as they cruised to a 6-1 win.
“That’s how a lot of our matches go. The majority of our matches, the first set is terrible and then the second set is really good,” Holder said. “It’s mostly because we like to talk about the other team and what their weaknesses are and how we can use it against them.”
The No. 2 team of Maggie Pickford and Mya Esquivel had an easier time as they handled their Monterey counterparts 6-2, 6-4. Pickford said the communication between her and her partner was crucial, especially as they chased down well-placed balls by the Toreadors.
“It was intense,” she said. “One of the girls would return right down the line. It’s just hard to get that ball, so that was a nice job by her.”
The No. 3 team of Sofia Magana and Daniela Castillo completed the sweep with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Monterey. The duo “improved immensely” since their last match, first-year Mustangs coach Ray Blagof said.
Gilroy almost came away with the victory, but fell shy in two of the four singles matches. The No. 3 singles player, Angela Martin, hustled her way across the court to scoop up short serves by her opponent but was unable to come away with a win, falling 7-5, 7-6.
Gilroy’s No. 4 singles player Catherine Bell struggled in her first set, losing 6-2 but rebounded in the second. She was a hair shy of forcing a tiebreaker set as she lost 7-5 in Set 2 to Monterey.
No. 1 and No. 2 singles players Brea Martin and Didi Bakita both lost their matches 6-0, 6-0.
“They bumped into a really well trained Monterey team,” Blagof said. “We did well in our doubles, but we continue to look bright and we’re getting stronger each time and hopefully we’re going to take the rest of the season, turn it around and go 5-0.”
Gilroy sits at 1-4 overall and will square off with Notre Dame-Salinas at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
The Mustangs will continue their homestand with a 4 p.m. league contest against Watsonville on Oct. 13. They face off with North Salinas at 4 p.m. Oct. 15 at home before playing their last two matches on the road.
