Morgan Hill – The Live Oak girls’ tennis team earned their first
win this season as they handed the Lincoln High School Lions their
third loss Tuesday in exciting match play.
Morgan Hill – The Live Oak girls’ tennis team earned their first win this season as they handed the Lincoln High School Lions their third loss Tuesday in exciting match play.
With only nine players, the only loss the Acorns suffered in their 6-1 home victory was due to a forfeit of the No. 4 singles match.
Karissa Watanabe, Live Oak’s No. 1 senior singles player, defeated her opponent, Lincoln’s No. 1, Arilells Straus in two sets 6-3, 6-0.
Watanabe looked strong throughout her match, but caught fire in the second set with scorching returns forcing her opponent to repeatedly hit into the net.
“I kept hitting out of bounds and into the net myself in the first set, but I recognized those mistakes and corrected them,” Watanabe said.
The 17-year-old improved her record to 2-1 with the victory, matching her 2006 season win total.
“Karissa (Watanabe) is a Type-A on the tennis court,” Yoder said. ” She does not want to slow down.”
In the No. 2 singles position Kalea Cleeton defeated Clare Straus 6-0, 6-2, to remain undefeated at 3-0.
Cleeton and Straus had some long rallies, with Cleeton taking the point just about every time.
“I felt really comfortable,” Cleeton said. “I just had to hit wherever she wasn’t.”
While Watanabe found success with her fierce returns, Cleeton cleaned up shop with hard serves and proper ball placement.
Live Oak moved down from the (A) Mt. Hamilton division, and into the (B) Santa Teresa division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League becuase of their shrinking student population, and after winning only one team match all last season.
With wins against Yerba Buena, Branham, and Lincoln, Cleeton is hoping to maintain her undefeated record.
“Each time I’m anticipating it to be harder, but it’s not … I really like this league,” Cleeton said.
Coach Jennifer Yoder is impressed with how well the small team is coming along this season.
“The team dynamics are amazing this year compared to last (year),” Yoder said. “The girls are willing to learn and expose themselves to the elements … I don’t know if it’s because we’re in a new league or what, but their confidence is up.”
Yoder and sophomore transfer from Presentation High School Alyssa Gamboa have been waiting since the beginning of the season to get clearance for Gamboa to play, and will have to continue to forfeit matches in the No. 4 singles match until that happens.
“It should only take a week to get the paper work filed,” Yoder said. “And it’s hard when you have a small team, but I’m still proud of how well the girls are developing and playing.”
