Morgan Hill – The Sobrato girls tennis team dropped a close,
hard fought match Tuesday to Willow Glen at the Sobrato tennis
courts, bringing their record to 3-2.
Morgan Hill – The Sobrato girls tennis team dropped a close, hard fought match Tuesday to Willow Glen at the Sobrato tennis courts, bringing their record to 3-2.
Before the match Sobrato coach Randy Barbaglia advised his team to “play with passion and be aggressive … but play your own games.”
With only nine players, by default, Sobrato had to forfeit the No. 3 doubles game, but starting out with a deficit is something the team is used to.
In the No. 1 singles position, Sobrato freshman Alexa Watanabe defeated Willow Glen junior Adalia Lopez in two sets 6-2, 6-0.
The freshman seemed to barely break a sweat as she gracefully returned hard to get balls and dealt Lopez some powerful and accurate serves.
“I was more consistent today, and I had better serves,” Watanabe said.
In the No. 2 singles position Sobrato freshman Allie Peksock defeated Willow Glen senior Laura Pierson 6-0, 6-1.
“I just played hard, and tried to stay focused,” Peksock, 14, said. “Mentally i have to be in the game, just stay calm and think about what I’m going to do.”
The freshman is 5-0 after Tuesday’s win, and hopes to stay focused and undefeated.
Sobrato’s third win came from the No. 1 doubles game, where freshmen Katie Martin and Allison Stoner defeated Willow Glen’s Carla Avila and Laura Redmond 6-1, 6-2.
While the No. 1 and No. 2 singles, and the No. 1 doubles matches were easy wins for Sobrato, Willow Glen proved a formidable opponent in all the others.
Junior Sarah Martin and freshman Amy Morimoto lost to Willow Glen senior Kathryn Sartor and sophomore Erin Wilcox 6-4, and a 6-6 tiebreaker in the No. 2 doubles match.
In the No. 3 singles match Sobrato senior Sarah Morimoto lost to Willow Glen junior Nicole Unger 6-2, 6-4.
For the No. 4 singles match, Danielle Than won the first set 6-2 but lost the last two sets 4-6, and 4-6, dropping the match to Willow Glen sophomore Edith Herrera.
With all the other matches finished, and Sobrato and Willow Glen tied at three matches a piece, all eyes turned to the No. 4 match.
“This is what you call a nail-biter,” Willow Glen head tennis coach Nancy Williams said. “We got two players here who aren’t gonna give up and this is the deciding match … this is how it should be.”
Coach Randy Barbaglia said there are a few specifics his team will work on in practice including mental concentration, and learning how to play to one’s own abilities.
In regards to Than’s loss, Barbaglia credited the play of her opponent, but said Than simply had an off day.
“We’ll beat ’em next time with the same team,” Barbaglia said. “A few of our players didn’t play to their abilities, but that’s something to work on and get better.”
