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Cate Falls to Stacked Whitney Squad in 8-10 Battle

Cate Girls’ Tennis (15-2) sees their season come to an end today, dropping an 8-10 decision against visiting Whitney High School (17-3) in the CIF D3 Round of 16.

How it Happened:

Cate came agonizingly close to executed on a pre-match plan to collect a win via strength in doubles. Normal #1 singles player paired with CIF Individuals partner Lisa Hasebe to sweep the line 1 position (6-1, 6-0, 6-0). In the first round, Cate also received a convincing win from senior/sophomore combo Reyna Takahashi and Elly Edwards. New pairing Elsie Chamberlain and Edie Abbott held a 4-1 lead at the #3 position, before being overcome by a late surge from Whitney (4-6).

Meanwhile, over in singles, the goal for Cate was to take 3 wins against the Whitney #3 player and sophomore Jade Wang opened the account with a 6-0 victory.

In round 2, senior captain Claire Bianchi turned back the clock to her days as a singles player in 2023 to record a quick 6-1 victory and keep the team strategy on track.

Takahashi and Edwards then came within 2 games of defeating the Whitney #1 team, before falling victim to another late surge by the visiting squad (4-6). Chamberlain paired with new partner Gwendi Rogers against the #2 players from Whitney, falling behind 0-5 in a hurry, only to recover to 5-5 in a thrilling see-saw match. The Whitney seniors managed to hold their nerve and close out the set 7-5, leaving Cate a tough task in the final round of play.

Round 3 began with Cate trailing 5-7, but the game-count still very close if a 9-9 set-tie could be attained. With the Whitney #1 and #2 players D1 college-bound, it fell to junior Claire Tang to pick up a win against the #3 to keep the team in the hunt.

Tang dutifully turned in a 6-2 victory, winning the last 5 games played and securing a good margin of victory should the 9-9 tie scenario play out.

With Huang and Hasebe adding a 6-1 victory, that left the match in the hands of the finally two doubles matches on court. Chamberlain and Rogers played well, but struggled to gain traction against the Whitney #1 team, falling behind 1-2, then 1-4, and finally 1-6. With Whitney having just clinched the match with a 10th win, Takahashi and Edwards closed out a 6-2 win to make 8 sets for the Rams.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

It’s hard to do so much winning all season and then find yourself on the other end of things. In each tournament, there’s just one winner and a lot of solid players left without a trophy to hoist, but that’s only part of the equation.

This season I watched my girls grow as young people as well as tennis players. We got to experience the highs of victory and now learn to deal with the disappoint of defeat. Tennis is a beautiful game and opportunity to tackle some of these quintessential elements of being human, and we did it all together.

Did we lose? Yes, maybe in some way that hurts now but will fade in due time. We also gained a lot: 15 wins, a season-high #46 in Southern California ranking, best team in Santa Barbara County, and a 4th consecutive Tri-Valley League title. Most of all, every Cate player knows without doubt that they have teammates (and coaches!) for life.

What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

This brings a close to the Cate tennis careers of Reyna Takahashi, Claire Bianchi, and Elsie Chamberlain. They take with them a 2023 CIF Championship and a 49-4 overall record across the last 3 seasons.

Cate will return 9 of 12 varsity players next season and looks poised to continue a tradition of excellence in the coming years.

Cate Cements SB County Leadership with 13-5 Win

Cate School girls’ tennis moves to 15-1 on the season with a second and more convincing win over visiting Dos Pueblos High School (13-2), after earning a 10-8 win in early season play. The 13-5 win leaves no doubt as to who is the top team in Santa Barbara County for 2025, with Dos Pueblos going undefeated in Channel League play during the season and Cate doing the same in the Tri-Valley League.

How it Happened:

Cate was dominant in doubles play, recording a 9-0 sweep. Junior/sophomore combo Lisa Hasebe and Chelsea Newlove continued their unbeaten streak in CIFSS play this year with a 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 performance, while another junior/sophomore combo Reyna Takahashi and Elly Edwards continue to pick up steam as a doubles partnership, dropping just 2 games on the day. Senior captains Elsie Chamberlain and Claire Bianchi rounded out the sweep with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 performance from the #3 position.

Cate also received a pair of wins from sophomores Ivy Huang and Jade Wang. Wang was particularly impressive, overturning early season losses against Dos Pueblos senior Isla Herrera and junior Zella Cassidy to go 2-1 on the day.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

There is so much I could highlight that I don’t really know where to start. Claire Tang, who played singles for us and didn’t get any wins today deserves a big shout-out for her determination and effort level throughout the day. She fought so hard for us today and clearly had a role in Ivy and Jade’s wins; big assist from Claire!

We also need to give some serious love to our doubles lineup today, who went undefeated and really rose to the occasion. We’ve been deep in the CIF playoffs for a couple of years now, and I think that definitely shows in the way we compete in high-stakes matches. The level of confidence and readiness to compete at a high level today from our doubles teams is evidence of our belief that, despite being the smallest school in the top 3 divisions, we are capable of competing against the best.

What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

Cate plays at home against Whitney High School from Cerritos on Friday, November 7th. The match will begin at 2pm and is sure to be a close one, with Whitney featuring taking a 15-3 win over Arlington High School in round 1 and carrying a 17-3 overall record into this Round of 16 match-up.

Cate Completes TVL Season Sweep

Cate defeated visiting Laguna Blanca 17-1 to earn a third-consecutive season sweep of Tri-Valley League play. The Rams finished regular season play 13-1 and secured a 14th-consecutive CIF Playoffs berth.

How it Happened:

Cate received a trio of singles wins from sophomore Ivy Huang (6-0, 6-3, 6-0) and junior Reyna Takahashi (6-3, 6-4, 6-0). Lisa Hasebe got the call-up from doubles and dutifully performed against the Laguna #2 player (6-2) before giving way to JV call-up Riya Mitera, who went 1-1 on the day.

It was all Rams in a complete sweep of the doubles action. Senior captains Elsie Chamberlain and Claire Bianchi held down the top line. This marks the last regular season match of their time at Cate, with Chamberlain finishing 19-0 and Bianchi finishing 15-0 in league play.

Elsewhere in doubles, Claire Tang paired with Edie Abbott for a 6-3, 6-0, 6-0 performance. The juniors finished league play 17-0 and 14-2, respectively. Chelsea Newlove finished league play 12-0, partnering with Elly Edwards (13-0) for two wins and completing the match with Evita Ferrone (6-5) for a 6-0 win.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

What a way to cap the regular season off, in front of friendly faces on family weekend at Cate!

I have to say, the Laguna line 1 and line 2 singles players were excellent today, which made the sweeps from Ivy and Reyna all the more impressive.

We’ve been dealing with a lot of illness on campus recently, but this team just keeps rolling. We missed Jade Wang out there today, but Lisa stepped up for us in singles and we also got a great effort out of Riya in that lineup spot.

Edie also settled right in with Claire to make quick work of her doubles matches and Evita did a great job in the third round to get Elly some much needed rest.

As a coach, I continue to feel spoiled with options for lineups due to our depth and the willingness of our players to take on different roles, as needed. Our seniors Claire and Elsie, and Reyna (who we’re celebrating as a senior this year) have all played a mix of singles and doubles throughout their careers at Cate. All three are undefeated in league play this season, with Reyna likely to be the #2 seed in our singles TVL Individuals tournament after twice previously competing in the doubles draw.

Now the team is united under the common objective of extending our season 5 more matches for our departing teammates. If you’re going to go to playoffs, why not go all the way?

What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

Cate will compete in the TVL Individuals tournament next Tuesday on Cate Mesa, beginning at 2pm, with final rounds to be played on Thursday. School Girls’ Tennis has not lost a TVL match since October of 2022, running up a total of 25 consecutive wins in league play since that time.

Across the last three seasons, Cate is now 47-3 overall, with the CIF D3 title in 2023, a CIF D2 Semifinal run in 2024, and a likely second shot at the D2 title in the coming weeks. Team playoffs begin Wednesday, November 5th.

First though, Cate will compete in the TVL Individuals tournament next Tuesday on Cate Mesa, beginning at 2pm, with final rounds to be played on Thursday. The winner and runner-up of both singles and doubles will qualify for CIF Regionals, also to be held at Cate, on November 24th.

Cate Adds Trio of Wins, Now 12-1 on the Season

Cate took a 17-1 victory in Ojai today against Villanova Prep, marking the 3rd win in less than a week and 12th win of the season.

Cate was led by singles sweeps from Jade Wang and Reyna Takahashi, who dropped just 5 games total across their 6 sets-of-play. Ivy Huang added 2 sets before substituting out for the final round.

In doubles, Lisa Hasebe and Chelsea Newlove continued their unbeaten streak in league play with a 6-0, 6-0, 6-1 line at #1 singles. Pairings Claire Bianchi/Claire Tang and Elsie Chamberlain/Edie Abbott also swept in doubles, with the entire doubles unit dropping just 2 games across 9 sets.

On Tuesday, Cate defeated Providence High School 15-3 in another TVL league match, going 8-1 in singles and 7-2 in doubles play. The match featured a number of newer faces to the team, with Riya Mitera/Josie Goldhirsh getting the call-up from JV and going 2-1 on the day as starters. Similarly, Lotte Nicholas and Adele Tan joined the team from JV, substituting in for 2 doubles set-wins.

Going back further to last weekend, Cate Girls’ Tennis ventured 2hrs north to play Arroyo Grande High School. The match was played using the Central Section format, with the Rams taking a 7-2 victory.

Cate was led by junior Lisa Hasebe, who partnered with Ivy Huang at #1 doubles for an 8-4 win, before leading the charge in singles with a 6-0, 6-4 victory.

Other notable performances came from sophomore Chelsea Newlove and senior Elsie Chamberlain, who earned wins at line #3 and #4 singles (respectively), both playing singles for the first time in 2025 dual match-play.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

We’ve been dealing with some sickness and injury this last week, but the girls have rallied around each other and done an excellent job of filling gaps in the lineup. It’s great to be able to call on doubles players to play some singles and also for some eager JV players to have the opportunity to play at the next level.

This is a team that seems ready to handle whatever gets thrown at it, which increases my confidence in our prospects for this year’s CIF Playoffs. It’s pretty rare for any team to make it through that part of the season without something going awry, so it’s great to know we have a host of role-players we can count on to step up when called upon.

What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

The Rams return to action next week on Thursday at 3:30pm, when they will try to defend home-court in front of an exuberant crowd on family week. The match, against Laguna Blanca, is an opportunity for Cate to complete its 3rd consecutive unbeaten Tri-Valley League season and league title.

Cate Remains Unbeaten in TVL with Win over Thacher

Cate finished the season series with Thacher 2-0 after taking a 15-3 win in Ojai today. Cate remains unbeaten in league play and moves to 9-1 overall.

How it Happened:

Cate continued to receive dominant performances at the top line in both singles and doubles, with Ivy Huang holding down the singles (6-0, 6-1, 6-0) and Lisa Hasebe pairing with Elly Edwards to sweep in doubles (6-0, 6-0, 6-2).

Jade Wang continued her unbeaten streak at line 2 in league play, while Claire Tang also went undefeated on the day at line 3.

In doubles, Elsie Chamberlain and Edie Abbott went 2-1, while Gwendi Rogers also finished 2-1 on the day, partnering with Reyna Takahashi (1-0) and Riya Mitera (1-1).

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

Thacher gave us some great doubles competition again today, battling for the first poach move at net, which is something we still need to be working on daily. I was happy with the way the team performed, especially down a few starters today, but when there’s strawberry shortcake from Boccali’s waiting just down the road, it’s always pretty easy to count on the girls to take care of business!

What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

Cate plays next on Saturday at 2:30pm against Central Section opponent, Arroyo Grande. The team with then turn back to league play next week against Providence (Tuesday) and Villanova (Thursday).

Cate Downs Owls 17-1 in TVL Match

Cate gave up just one set against Laguna Blanca in the first of two meetings between last year’s top-2 teams of the Tri-Valley League. The win takes Cate to 4-0 in league play and 8-1 overall on the season.

How it Happened:

Sophomore standouts Ivy Huang and Jade Wang continued their unbeaten streaks in league play this season, dropping just 9 games across 6 sets of singles play.

Cate received wins from Reyna Takahashi and Evita Ferrone at the #3 singles position, with the lone win for Laguna on the day coming from their #1 singles player, Hali Wight.

In doubles, Chelsea Newlove paired with Lisa Hasebe in round 1 and then Edie Abbott in the remaining two rounds, continuing her unbeaten streak in league doubles play. The pairing of Elly Edwards and Elsie Chamberlain also went 3-0 on the day (6-2, 6-3, 6-0).

Junior Claire Tang paired with Claire Bianchi and Gwendi Rogers for a line #3 sweep, including a thrilling 8-6 tie-break win to end the match (Tang/Rogers).

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

I thought the Laguna singles players came out firing in the early stages of rounds 1 and 2, but Ivy and Jade did an excellent job of maintaining their composure. The early going was close, but they identified weaknesses and made adjustments to create some separation in the final stages of those sets.

I’m also so proud of Evita, who was the last player to make the cut for varsity this season. She had a tough go against the Laguna #1, losing 6-0, but rallied mightily to be the Laguna #2 in the next round. It would have been easy to miss that second opportunity, but she turned the day around and ended up with a big win.

As I was telling the girls in the post-game huddle, it’s a total luxury for me as a coach that I can send any player on the team out to hit with any other player and know that they can hang; I think getting comfortable playing against more advanced players this season in practice has helped Evita see that she belongs on the court with that calibre of player.

What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

Cate will travel to Ojai to face eternal boarding school rival, Thacher School, on Thursday at 3:30pm. The team will also play away on Saturday (2:30pm) against Arroyo Grande High School of the CIF Central Section.

Cate Takes 3rd in SB Invitational

The Rams finished 2-1 on the weekend to earn 3rd place in the 4th Annual Santa Barbara Girls’ Tennis Invitational Tournament.

Cate lost to Monta Vista High School from Cupertino in the semifinals, before rallying for a 6-0 win over Rancho Bernardo of San Diego in the 3rd place match.

The win over Rancho Bernardo reverses a 2-4 loss from last year’s edition, where Cate went on to sweep up 5th place from the backdraw.

How it Happened:

Cate battled gamely against Bay Area powerhouse Monta Vista, who are already competing in their 3rd tournament of the young season.

In singles, while the Cate trio of Ivy Huang, Jade Wang, and Reyna Takahashi failed to pick up any sets, the sets that they played featured excellent rallies and competitive points.

Doubles was much closer, with tie-break sets played on all 3 courts. Lisa Hasebe and Chelsea Newlove took the top Monta Vista team to a tie-breaker in the first set, while Elsie Chamberlain and Elly Edwards were similarly competitive at the #2 spot, losing 3-6, 6-7. Cate picked up a nice win from “the Claires” (Claire Bianchi and Claire Tang) at #3 singles, who won 6-2, 6-7, 10-8.

Regrouping for the afternoon match, Jade Wang moved into the #1 singles position and took a 6-1, 6-1 victory over her Rancho Bernardo opponent. Reyna Takahashi added an impressive 6-1, 6-0 win at line #2.

Ivy Huang moved to doubles, pairing with Lisa Hasebe for a competitive 6-4, 7-5 win at the top line. Elsewhere, sophomores Newlove/Edwards and senior/junior combo Chamberlain/Tang won their matches more convincingly (6-1, 6-3 and 6-2, 6-3).

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

This tournament was a critical step forward for us as a team with championship aspirations. The teams we played today have a lot of players of the variety we’re likely to face in CIF later this season, and the girls did not shy away from the competition.

The way we competed against top teams leveled up our competence and our confidence as a team and everyone seemed to really enjoy the experience.

What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

Cate returns to action on Tuesday at Laguna Blanca, in what appears to be the first of two matches between the top teams in the Tri-Valley League this year.

Cate Rips into SB Invitational Semis with Dominant Display

Cate girls’ tennis moved to 6-0 on the season with a 6-0 victory in the first round of this year’s Santa Barbara Invitational Tournament.

The win marks the second time in 2 years that Cate has defeated San Dieguito (Encinitas) in the invitational, with Bay Area powerhouse Monta Vista high school looming next in the semifinals.

How it Happened:

Cate was led by dominant 6-0, 6-0 performances from sophomores Ivy Huang and Jade Wang in singles. Junior Reyna Takahashi rallied from 2-3 down in the first, rattling off 10 of the next 11 games to secure the singles sweep.

In doubles, it was all Cate as well, with decisive wins from Elly Edwards/Elsie Chamberlain and Claire Bianchi/Claire Tang. At line 1, the match was much more competitive, but junior/sophomore combo Lisa Hasebe and Chelsea Newlove eventually prevailed in straight sets (6-4, 6-4).

The match follows a 17-1 TVL league win over Villanova Prep School earlier in the week and a stretch of lopsided victories that stretches all the way back to August, when Cate narrowly defeated Dos Pueblos High School to start the season.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

We expect our upcoming match against Monta Vista to be a significant step up in competition, but it’s important not to lose sight of what we’ve been able to accomplish already in this season. You don’t get convincing wins like we had today against San Dieguito without a lot of effort and time spent training both at school and over the summer.

I want to applaud my girls on the way they performed today. They asserted themselves early and often in the matches, while striking the tough balance between competitive and collegial. We are relishing the matchups we’re sure to get tomorrow. The next few rounds of the tournament are opportunities to continue competing against top teams from other parts of the state, with an eye towards our goal of bringing home another CIF banner to Cate in November.

What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

Cate will host Monta Vista in a semifinal match tomorrow morning at 8:30am, followed by either a championship or 3rd Place match at noon (also at Cate).

Cate Moves to 4-0 with Pair of Dominant Performances

Cate girls’ tennis has now fully settled back into the tennis groove after the annual school “outings week.” Last week, they picked up a 9-0 win over visiting Santa Ynez High School and today have registered a 15-3 win over visiting Thacher School to open Tri-Valley League play.

How it Happened:

Cate was led today by senior captain Claire Bianchi, who swept her singles sets (6-1, 6-0, 6-3). Fellow senior captain Elsie Chamberlain partnered with junior Claire Tang to sweep their three sets of play in doubles (7-5, 7-6, 6-1).

Perhaps the most dominant performance of the day came from junior Reyna Takahashi, who beat the Thacher line #1 and #2 players without dropping a game, and seemingly without a sweat either (6-0, 6-0).

On the doubles side, sophomore Elly Edwards recorded a trio of 6-1 victories. In the first round, she partnered with junior Gwendi Rogers, and then in the following rounds with sophomore Chelsea Newlove.

Cate also received wins from their top three players, who filled different roles in this match: Jade Wang subbed in to defeat Thacher’s top two girls (6-0, 6-1), while Ivy Huang and Lisa Hasebe paired for a 6-1 victory at #1 doubles in the first round before being subbed out.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

Thacher brought a team that, although not loaded with tournament players, was steady in singles and aggressive in doubles. These are things we at Cate are always trying to do, so it made the match fun and productive, despite the score.

As for our girls today, we won a few tight sets in doubles after coming back from behind, and I could not be more impressed by the way Reyna took her opponents apart in the singles. She was great against Santa Ynez in that way, too, using her flatter cross-court drives to the corners to create space to finish points, without ever taking many big risks.

What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

The Rams take to the courts against Providence High School on Thursday at the Santa Barbara Municipal Courts in another TVL league match.

Visiting Rams take down Royals 14-4

Care Girls’ Tennis moved to 2-0 on the season today with a 14-4 win.

Playing a Channel League opponent for the second time in a week, Cate took a 6-0 lead in the first round against home team San Marcos High School.

How it Happened:

Cate sophomore Ivy Huang defeated SM senior Kate Selby in what was one of the best matches of the day. The two traded leads until Selby found herself at 5-4 and serving for the match. Huang then found another gear, reducing errors and playing smart points to take the final three games.

Elsewhere, Lisa Hasebe and Chelsea Newlove moved their singles line #1 partnership to 4-0 with a 6-0 win. Newlove then paired with junior Edie Abbott for two more wins, while Hasebe took the rest of the day off.

Junior Reyna Takahashi and sophomore Jade Wang both finished 2-1 on the day and junior Claire Tang subbed in for Huang to pick up a pair of wins at the line #1 singles position.

Sophomore Elly Edwards and junior Gwendi Rogers came back from 1-5 down to rattle off six consecutive games in the first round at line #2. The duo followed that win up with a convincing 6-1 victory in the second.

Sophomore JV call-ups Josie Goldhirsh and Riya Mitera saw their first action of the season, rallying to a 6-4 win at doubles line #3 after falling behind early in the set.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

It was great to see all 12 varsity girls in action today, along with Josie and Riya, who we will be calling up from JV quite a bit this season. As was the case last year, we have a lot of depth at both the singles and doubles positions. We’re working out how all the pieces are going to fit together in the best way, and San Marcos presented a great mix of opponents to test some things out. That team looks to have some pieces to develop as the year moves along, too.

What’s Next for Cate Tennis?

Cate now heads off to our annual Outings Week, which means a break from tennis. We’ll be back in action against Santa Ynez on September 11th on Cate Mesa at 3pm.