Girls Tennis:
Maranatha’s improbable Cinderella run through the playoffs somehow continued with a thrilliing win over the Wildcats of Paloma Valley, who played their 3rd consecutive 9-9 playoff match.
With Maranatha upsetting #5 Redlands East Valley in the Round of 16, 11-7, and Paloma Valley upsetting #4 Ontario Christian, 9-9, the semifinals was certain to have an unseeded participant.
Early on, the Lady Minutemen were on track to take a commanding 1st round lead, as they were ahead on all 6 courts.
The Wildcats showed the grit that got them this far in the playoffs, as they responded to their deficits with intensified play, claiming two doubles wins over #2 Mia Huang/Mia Su and #3 Nelli Breuer/Marie Wolfrum, 6-3, 7-5.
#1 Kasey McCoy/Esmee Eaton were able to withstand their opponents’ charge and pull out a 6-4 win to put MHS doubles on the board.
In singles, standout, #1 Stella Hsieh continued her stellar playoff run, not only anchoring this young team with consistent wins, but with scorelines that have put MHS in a good position, had the final match score ended up at 9-9.
She came into today’s contest having given up only one game, while garnering 36 games in her sweeps of her opponents.
Hsieh, the Olympic League’s singles champion faced off against Tessa Wynn, the Sunbelt League’s singles champion in the 1st round. Hsieh prevailed, 6-1, while #2 Natalie Arminak notched her only win on the day, 6-3.
With MHS leading, 3-2, the only set remaining was with #3 Audrey Loh, who faced Abi Gomez, the Sunbelt League’s singles runner-up. Loh, who was suffering from physical issues, showed tremendous heart and courage, as she battled not only her opponent, but her own body.
She stayed close the entire set.
Just when it seemed Gomez would knock her out and create separation, Loh somehow kept fighting back to stay within striking distance.
Down 5-6, Loh faced match point while serving deuce plus one.
She prevailed to force a tie-breaker, which she pulled out, 7-4, with gutsy, fearless ball striking despite her physical issues.
That gave Maranatha a needed 4-2 lead heading into the next round of play.
In round 2, MHS’s doubles teams continued to struggle to find their collective rhythm, as it was Huang/Su’s turn to provide Maranatha their lone doubles point, 6-3. Hsieh was the only singles contributor, chipping in with a 6-0 win.
The Wildcats’ 4 wins evened the overall score at 6-6.
Prior to the start of the 3rd round, Coach Arthur Hsieh alerted his doubles squad that if their team had any chance to win the match, doubles would have to step up and not only win at least twice – something they had yet to do – but would need to win by as large a margin as possible, in order to counter the success the Wildcats’ singles squad was having, especially with Loh substituted out. They responded.
McCoy/Eaton started things off with a convincing 6-1 win. Breuer/Wolfrum, who had been close but fell just short in their first two sets, faced the Wildcats’ best doubles team, who already defeated MHS’s top 2 teams. Knowing the stakes, they locked in and produced their best tennis, upsetting their opponents, 6-3, and providing the Lady Minutemen with a must-win victory.
Hsieh brought in the lone singles point, with a 6-3 win. Singles alternate, Kathryn Khalil (who replaced Loh), and Arminak, though in losing efforts, fought to provide Maranatha with as many games as possible. Arminak was losing to Wynn, 5-1, but was able to close the gap, giving MHS an extra 2 games, before losing, 6-3.
With the score standing at 9-8 in Maranatha’s favor, all eyes were on the final set, a back-and-forth affair featuring Huang/Su.
The set ended in a tie-breaker, with the Wildcats prevailing, 7-2, and evening the score at 9-9.
As Paloma Valley players celebrated, the two opposing coaches got together to count the total number of games each team had won.
An initial misunderstanding led the Wildcats to believe they had won, evoking celebration.
When the mix-up was clarified and confirmed, it was the Lady Minutemen who emerged to move on to the semi-finals.
Maranatha’s next opponent will be #1 Mark Keppel and #8 Webb, whose match was postponed due to inclement weather.
Keppel and its loaded roster is the overwhelming favorite to win the CIF-SS D4 title.
Photo courtesy of Amanda Lin
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