Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Islander Girls Tennis Wins Thrillers, Culminates Successful Season as CIF D2 Finalists

Entering the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division 2 Tournament, the Coronado Islanders Girls Tennis Team set their sights high. To achieve their goal of winning the team tournament, the mantras were, “Every line [set] counts,” and “Every game counts.” The Islanders indeed needed every game and every line to land in the finals on Saturday against Mater Dei Catholic.

High school tennis plays an 18-set format, featuring 9 sets of singles and 9 sets of doubles. The team that wins the greatest number of sets wins the match. A set is typically the first to win 6 games. In the event of a tie at 9 sets each, the tiebreaker hinges on the total games won across all sets.

Sets matter. Games matter.

Islander Girls Tennis wrapped up their season as finalists of the CIF Division 2 Team Tournament.

The team mantras were prescient. Against Eastlake, the team finished 9-9 and won the tiebreaker, 82-71 games. Sets counted. Games counted. Against Mission Hills, a similar scenario unfolded. The team finished 9-9 and, again, fighting for games mattered. The team punched its ticket to the semi-finals with an overall game score, 68-67. Just one game determined the winner. In the semi-finals, the team defeated Santana in comparatively easy fashion, 10 sets to 8 sets.

Team First

Volunteer assistant coach Beth Elardo shared, “Each team member stepped up in different ways to win key matches in the CIF D2 Team Tournament.”

Elardo highlighted that the teammates supported each other, set goals, and worked hard to achieve their goals. Seniors Ana Sofia Esponda, Aranza Luna Quintana, Gabriella Sardiello, Hana Araujo, Jimena Cortes, and Pia Gil stood out with their leadership and dedication.

Aranza Luna Quintana was selected for the Sportsmanship Award by the opposing team.

For the finals, a tournament tradition is that the opposing team honors the player on the other team who exhibits sportsmanship and fair play. Mater Dei Catholic selected Islander doubles player Aranza Luna Quintana for the CIF Sportsmanship award.

The timing of the tournament was daunting. The team not only played four matches in six days, but the players also took their semester finals during that six-day time span. On Saturday, they fell to Mater Dei Catholic, 5-13. The team culminated a successful season in a well-deserved finalist position in the CIF Division 2 girls team tennis championships.

 



Lisa Lamb
Lisa Lamb
Lisa’s passion for sports journalism stems from her experiences playing high school sports and reading great sports journalists, especially those who write about her favorite basketball team, the San Diego State Aztecs. As a professor of mathematics education, she enjoys analyzing data to highlight the statistics that help bring the story to life. Lisa has lived in Coronado for almost 20 years with her husband and son. She loves the friendly neighborhood community and the walkable access to wonderful restaurants and parks.Have news to share? Send tips, story ideas or letters to the editor to: [email protected]

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