A deep and talented Sobrato girls tennis squad fought hard and succeeded in the Blossom Valley Athletic League, Santa Teresa – East Division. The Bulldogs closed in third place with a 6-4 league mark, 8-8 overall.
“The team was persistent and dedicated to tennis, as they never forfeited a match, always showing up with grit and tenacity of the Bulldog pride,” coach Foday Mattia said.
Christopher won the division, with Santa Teresa in second place. Behind the Bulldogs were Independence in fourth, Oak Grove in fifth and Gilroy in last.
At the end of the double round-robin schedule of dual matches, the BVAL holds Division and League championships. One of Sobrato’s biggest highlights of the year came there. The doubles duo of Rebekah Latin and Bianca Fugate advanced to the semifinals in the Santa Teresa – East tournament, and claimed a third-place finish.
During the dual matches, the Bulldogs enjoyed home and away sweeps over Independence, Oak Grove and Gilroy. In addition to those accomplishments, Sobrato took pride in nearly knocking off Santa Teresa on the road.
On Oct. 2, the Saints edged the Bulldogs just 4-3. Sophomore Alondra Curiel won her singles match in straight sets. In doubles, Sobrato picked up two of three points. Stephanie Gomez and Leilani Chin captured their match and Macie Claytor and Keanna Mori took their contest in a lengthy three-set battle.
Another highlight came against Christopher, as Riley Plute won her match at the No. 2 singles spot, a great accomplishment against the powerful Cougars.
The season ended with division and league playoffs for both teams and individuals. Only the best in the four-division BVAL succeeded in the league playoffs. The few teams and players moving on all came from the upper division, the Mt. Hamilton Division.
Evergreen Valley and Leigh advanced into the Central Coast Section team playoffs. Those two strong schools also featured individuals that participated in the CCS singles and doubles tournaments.
Rachel Gee of Evergreen Valley went the furthest, as she swept three singles matches before falling in the semifinals via a tiebreaker to Akina Ogawa of Palo Alto.
Sobrato closed the dual match component of the season with a 6-1 win over Oak Grove on Senior Night.
Ten seniors who built the next step in the foundation of Bulldog tennis will graduate. They are Stephanie Gomez, Allison Talley, Latin, Rehat Sra, Ythyka Thai, Makayla Brinquis, Alisson Gallego, Mori, Plute and Chin.
The Bulldogs’ future remains bright. There were seven underclassmen on this year’s team and several played key roles in the just-concluded season. Freshmen Fugate and Natalie Brinquis will be back, along with Claytor, Curiel, Abigail Hunsperger, Rachel Romero and Cassi Franklin.
Coach Mattia called out one particular event as an illustration of the team’s spirit, competitiveness and dedication to the sport of tennis. In the finale against Oak Grove, Mori’s opponent was unavailable, giving the Bulldog senior a “walk-over win,” scoring a point for Sobrato without having to beat someone on the court.
But Mori simply wanted to play and compete on the court for her team. She was more disappointed than anything. Coach Mattia stated that it was symbolic of the group’s teamwork approach and love of tennis.
He noted that all year long, the Sobrato girls worked hard together, practiced religiously and enjoyed competing as a team.
