Cate Girls’ tennis had its most successful individuals campaign of the last 20 years this week, with the Rams claiming the top 2 spots in the singles event and 1st and 3rd in doubles. All 6 Cate players earned TVL All-League First-Team Honors.
How it Happened:
In singles, freshman phenom Elizabeth Jayich won two matches and advanced to the finals, dropping just a singles game on Day 1 of the tournament. Jade Wang also turned in a convincing pair of wins, including a 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals over Laguna Blanca #1 Ella Osley. Osley defeated Wang a year ago in the semifinal round in a close match, but had no answer to the relentless and focused efforts of the Cate junior.
With Jayich and Wang both representing Cate in the championship match, it was an all-Cate affair and the action did not disappoint. Wang came out swing, putting her younger teammate on the back foot in the early games. Jayich turned the tide at 2-3 down, battling through some close games to eventually take the first set 6-4.
In the second set, the two were neck-and-neck until 3-4, when Wang again raised her level to win a pair of games and put herself in a position to serve for the set at 5-4. Jayich responded a second time, locking in on key points and holding her nerve to win the final three games for a 7-5 second set and her first league title.
Jayich follows in the footsteps of her teammates Ivy Huang and Lisa Hasebe, who also won the TVL singles title as freshmen (2024 and 2023, respectively).
In doubles, a late scratch of Ivy Huang (who was last year’s doubles champion) meant it would be freshman Kiki Chang getting her moment in the limelight. The Cate freshman paired with Lisa Hasebe, who was already the 2-time defending league doubles champion, and the duo were unstoppable. Across two matches, they dropped just a single game and booked their ticket to the final.
It looked for a moment that Cate might be playing an intersquad match of sorts for both league titles, with juniors Elly Edwards and Chelsea Newlove coming in undefeated and garnering the #2 seed. The pair took care of business in the quarterfinal round with an 8-3 pro-set win, but faced a stiff challenge in the semifinal round. Villanova moved its top 2 singles players into doubles for the tournament, including last years’ TVL singles champion Chloe Kalison and the senior pair proved too strong a challenge.
Villanova took the semifinals match over the Cate #2s by a final score of 6-3, 6-4, although the match had a number of momentum shifts that kept viewers on edge until the very end. The team of Edwards/Newlove then secured 3rd place with a 7-6, 6-0 win over the top Thacher team, leaving just the doubles final to be decided.
Hasebe and Chang against Kalison and Poon was a see-saw battle throughout, with the Cate team taking the first set 6-4, before the Villanova pair rallied to a 6-2 second set. In the final round, Cate trailed most of the way and it was beginning to look like Hasebe might suffer her first defeat in 4 years of TVL Individuals play (singles champion 2023, doubles champion 2024/2025).
With her back against the wall, Hasebe dug deep, chasing down balls on both sides of the baseline and even charging forward for an approach shot/swinging backhand volley combo that had the Villanova pair at a loss for options. The surge of the senior seemed to motivate her freshman partner, with Chang regaining her confidence at net to help the Cate pair reach 5-4 in the final set.
At this stage, Chang was serving and the Villanova strategy was clear: don’t let Hasebe have a play on the ball. Chang served big, even on second serve, but Kalison and Poon answered with powerful returns, forcing Chang to rally cross-court with the two seniors from the baseline.
Chang was equal to the challenge, eventually overcoming them both with her aggressive ball-striking, and on the one occasion they didn’t manage to hit cross-court, Hasebe was waiting to pounce at net, stinging the ball with a crisp forehand volley winner through the middle. Chang served at 40-15 for the title, and after a few balls exchanged cross-court, a Villanova ball sailed just long, clinching the victory for the Cate duo (6-4, 2-6, 6-4).
Coach Thorpe’s Comments:
Our girls executed at a high level throughout this tournament and I could not be more proud with the way they took care of business. We had a dominant season as a team, but it can be a totally different challenge in the individuals tournament, as singles players sometimes pair up into the doubles draws and nerves and illness can take their toll. Instead, everyone rose to the occasion.
I’m especially proud of how our freshman Kiki stepped into Ivy’s shoes and with the way Lisa took over in the key moments. She really showed us again why she’s a captain and the only player in league history to never lose an individuals match across 4 seasons.
What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?
The Rams will learn their playoff fate on Saturday, when CIFSS Playoff draws are published. The team playoffs are scheduled to start next week on Wednesday, when Cate is likely to have a home match to start another playoff push. Jayich, Wang, Hasebe, and Chang will then compete individually on Monday, November 23rd in the CIFSS Regional event, held at Cate/Carp High.
