The Coronado Girls Tennis Team is on a roll, winning three consecutive matches and seven of the last eight.
Mira Mesa and Canyon Hills
After losing in August to Mira Mesa and Canyon Hills, the Lady Islanders came out swinging in September, defeating both teams in tight matches. Against each opponent, the Islanders were tied at the end of team play, forcing a tiebreaker. Against Mira Mesa, the game score was a 72-71 squeaker, while the Canyon Hills differential was larger, at 79-71.
Sidenote: High school tennis matches consist of 18 sets of no-ad scoring: 9 sets of singles and 9 sets of doubles. Three singles players on each team play each of the three singles players on the other team. Similarly, the three doubles teams play each of the opponent’s doubles teams. If the number of sets won is tied at the end of team play, the first tiebreaker is the total number of games won.
High Tech High
The match against High Tech High offered less drama, and the Islanders finished victoriously, 17-1. Singles players Jimena Cortes, Madison Brown, and Maria Cancino all had strong performances. Brown, the only freshman on varsity, and team co-captain Cortes, both swept their sets. Brown and Cortes displayed strong backcourt games, hitting deep consistent balls and waiting patiently for their opponents to make the errors. Cancino rounded out the field and won two of three.
The doubles players swept their sets, 9-0. Maria Anaya and Grace Ellardo beat their High Tech High opponents convincingly, 6-1, 6-0, and 6-0. Anaya and Ellardo, both sophomores, came to the team knowing each other from club and varsity lacrosse. When asked about their success, Anaya shared, “We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and we can anticipate what we are both going to do.” Anaya and Ellardo were also asked to share what they appreciated most about each other’s game. Anaya appreciates “[Grace’s] volleys. She has a great finish.” Ellardo offered, “[Maria] is super fast and she gives 150% all the time.”
Co-captain Hana Araujo and Gabriella Sardiello decisively won the sets they played 6-2, 6-1. In the third set, Sardiello teamed up with Josephine Zwierzynski to win, 6-3. Carlota Peralta and Ana Sofia Esponda won two sets, 6-4, 6-4, while Lilah Cade and Casilda Sanchez defeated High Tech High’s #3 doubles team, 6-1. Co-captain Aranza Luna and Pia Gil have played formidably in other matches this season but did not play on Thursday.
Coach Rob Moore shared that his goal for this season is “to qualify as many girls for the post season and go as far as we can in Division 2. We have a shot at winning Division 2.” He added, “We would love to qualify as many girls for CIF individual championship as possible.”
Next up is University City on October 3, a team the Islanders handled easily in their most recent matchup, 14-4.
