Cate beat Trabuco Hills 14-4 today, at home, in a match very different from last year’s first round. In 2014, Cate had to beat Fullerton in a wildcard round (at Fullerton) in order to reach a first-round matchup against #2 Murrieta Valley (away again). That worked out to two 12+ hour days of travel and competition that left the team exhausted.

This time around, thanks to a stellar regular season that warranted the #5 seeding in CIF D2, Cate got a home match against Trabuco Hills in the first round.

We led off with quick wins from Julia Gan at #1 singles and Jackie Cai at #2 singles and ended up with a 5-1 lead. The two Cate singles players earned the Tri-Valley League MVP and Runner-Up spots in last weeks individuals tournament, but are clearly still motivated for more success.

Summer Christensen and McKenna Madden also had a good Tri-Valley League Individuals, coming Runner-Up and continued their impressive doubles play today. Dropping just four games in three sets, the pair looked at ease from start to finish.

Eva Herman and Janice Ng also swept today, buoyed by their third-place showing in Tri-Valley Individuals. New pairing, Emma Liberman and Sarah Polowczak, added two sets.

I was particularly impressed by the intensity Julia and Jackie showed in the opening round, which I believe set the tone for the rest of the match. Julia had her trademark game-face on and Jackie played very smart tennis throughout the day.

In doubles, we took eight sets with aggressive net-play and good communication. It’s no secret to anyone I’ve coached over the years that I have a passion for doubles, so it’s exciting for me to see the progress our doubles lineup has made this season.

Cate will play on Friday against Oak Park at a venue to be determined by coin-toss.