The #18-ranked Cate Rams got off to an impressive start against #31-ranked Beckman High School from Irvine, claiming a 16-2 victory in the CIFSS Division 2 playoffs. The win moves Cate to 15-0 on the season.
How it Happened:
Cate came out firing in singles, with junior Jade Wang defeating Beckman #1 and 3-star recruit Clara Hoss 6-0. Freshman Elizabeth Jayich added more fuel to the fire with a 6-1 first round win. Beckman responded at the #3 singles position with a 6-1 win over Cate senior Claire Tang.
In doubles, the matches were much more even, with leads trading hands on all three courts in the early-going. However, Cate was the stronger finisher, claiming all three sets (6-4, 6-3, 6-4).
With the first round going 5-1 in favor of the Rams, the momentum of the match became obvious, and Beckman struggled to get anything going in subsequent rounds.
Wang and Jayich rolled through their second sets, while Tang rallied from 1-4 down to take a 7-6 (5) win over Beckman #2 Violet Luu, a 4.7 UTR player, for perhaps her best high school win yet.
Cate doubles continued to roll, with senior/freshman combo Lisa Hasebe/Kiki Chang remaining undefeated together on the season (20-0). Ivy Huang paired with Edie Abbott at line #2 for a sweep, and the TVL all-league first team pair of juniors Elly Edwards/Chelsea Newlove rounded out the lineup with another sweep.
In the final round-of-play, sophomore Margo Nicholas lost a competitive 2-6 set against Hoss, while senior Evita Ferrone subbed in for a 6-3 singles set win to complete the 16-2 result for Cate.
Coach Thorpe’s Comments:
I asked our girls to step up the intensity level today and they responded in the best possible way. From start to finish, they were composed, driven, and focused on our team objective. I’m particularly proud of the way Jade Wang took the reins and volunteered herself to play line #1 singles today; she handled the pressure and responsibility like the seasoned high school player she has become.
That goes for all of our girls, actually. Claire recovered from her first round loss and picked up her best singles win in 4 years. Lisa continues to anchor the doubles lineup the way she has for each of the last 4 years. Elizabeth, in her first year on the team, won the TVL singles title and dropped just 3 games today in giving us 3 singles set-wins.
This team has a few players left from the CIF D3 Championship team of 2023, but what we’ve built together this year is looking even more formidable. To come out of the gates firing the way we did today bodes well for our chances in these playoffs; we’re ready and we’re hungry for more!
What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?
Cate will play at Newport Harbor High School in the Round-of-16. Newport Harbor, ranked #34 of 373 schools in CIFSS, took a narrow 10-8 victory over Beckman High School early in the season, leaving Cate the clear favorite in the match-up.
