Category: Cate Girls’ Tennis

Rams Ground Eagles 17-1

Cate Girls’ Tennis won an impressive 17-1 victory over visiting Arroyo Grande today. The match pitted the defending CIFSS D3 Champions against the current CIFCS D1 #3-seeded team.

How it Happened

Cate came into the match with an SB Invitational Tournament win over Arroyo Grande in-hand, but the result of this match was anything but certain at the onset.

In the previous match, Arroyo Grande had fielded the B team, due to injury and travel, with the key exception being their star player, senior UTR 6 Elliane Cha. In that match, Cha had triumphed over Cate freshman #1 player Ivy Huang 6-4, 6-2. It looked like the result would be similar, with Cha leading 3-0, 4-1, and 5-2, but Huang dug deep to turn the match for a 7-5 win.

At the same time, Cate surged from closely contested early games to sweep the doubles play, while freshman Jade Wang turned in a 6-2 performance at the #3-spot. Sophomore Lisa Hasebe held a 3-0 lead at #2 singles, but faced a strong come-back from the Arroyo Grande player. However, Hasebe showed poise and determination in the tie-breaker, fist-pumping her way to a 7-4 victory and completing the clean sweep of the first round.

It was nearly all Cate in the remaining rounds as well, with Cha collecting the lone Arroyo Grande win in the second round, before substituting out due to fatigue.

Cate received doubles sweeps from all three starting teams: Reyna Takahashi/Colette Chang, Elly Edwards/Claire Tang, and Elsie Chamberlain/Chelsea Newlove. Takahashi and Chang enter the Tri-Valley League Individuals next week as the hot favorite, after finishing runner-up in 2023.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

Arroyo is a very strong team. They’re on-paper as the third-best team in the California Central Section and have a win over the top team (San Luis Obispo), so to take them apart like we did today is really something special.

Ivy’s performance today as a freshman against a senior #1 who beat her earlier this season, coming back from 2-5 down: that’s the stuff on which dynasties are built.

As a coach, this team is a total luxury. I know that whichever lineup we go with, we’re going to field 3 strong singles players without compromising anything in doubles.

We won CIF Division 3 last season on the depth of our team, defeating opponents with multiple singles players that we couldn’t compete with on paper. Now, we have similar depth, but I also feel that we have the ability to compete head-on with teams who have those stand-out UTR 6 and 7 players.

What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

The Rams return to action on Thursday against visiting league opponent Villanova Prep. The match will be followed up by “Family Friday,” a team tradition in which Cate players invite parents and siblings to join in practice and competition.

Cate defeats Laguna Blanca 16-2

Cate girls’ tennis notches another lopsided victory on the way to a second-consecutive undefeated Tri-Valley League season. Despite strong play from the Owls at #1 singles and doubles, the Rams left Hope Ranch with a 16-2 victory, moving to 11-1 on the season (7-0 in league play).

How it Happened

Senior Laguna player Caroline Kenny took Cate freshman #1 Ivy Huang to 5-7 in what was the only close match of the opening round. The two players traded impressive winners to 5-all before Huang pulled ahead to close out the set convincingly.

In the third round, fellow freshman Jade Wang had a similar battle with Kenny, grinding to 5-all before pulling away in the final to games for a 7-5 win. Cate sophomore Reyna Takahashi lost a similarly tight 5-7 set to Kenny in the second round, but showed encouraging glimpses of her top form as the playoffs loom.

Cate won the remaining 6 sets of singles, sweeping lines #2-3, including a win for Claire Bianchi, who subbed in for Huang in the final round.

In doubles, sophomore Lisa Hasebe took Takahashi’s usual spot at #1 doubles, pairing with senior Colette Chang for a trio of 6-1 set-wins. Elsie Chamberlain and Chelsea Newlove continued their strong partnership during league play, also sweeping on the day. Claire Tang and Elly Edwards added two 6-0 victories at the #2 spot, before losing a close one to Laguna’s #1 doubles team.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments

I was really impressed by the way my singles players competed today. Caroline has really upped her game in the last year and so it was great to see Ivy and Jade battle to wins over her, despite being three years younger and much less experienced in high school play. I was also stoked to see Reyna competing so fiercely. Although she ended up losing, this was her best tennis of the season and evidence of her abilities, which we’ll need to rely on in post-season play.

What’s next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

The Rams return to play next week against visiting Arroyo Grande, one of the stronger teams in CIF Central Section. The teams played earlier this season in the Santa Barbara Invitational, with Cate taking a 5-1 victory.

Rams Extinguish Dragons, Move to 6-0 in League

Cate collected wins from 15 different players in a 16-2 win over visiting Foothill Tech today, moving to 6-0 in league and 10-1 overall on the season.

How it Happened

After spending last week’s undefeated stint in the doubles lineup, Lisa Hasebe and Jade Wang returned to the singles side to collect a pair of convincing sweeps over the top Foothill Tech players. Hasebe, defending Tri-Valley League singles champion, moves to 14-1 on the season, while Wang is a perfect 13-0 in her freshman league campaign.

Cate also achieved a pair of wins over Foothill Tech’s #1 doubles team, with Colette Chang and Reyna Takahashi cementing their position as the team to beat in league doubles play, while frosh pairing Elly Edwards and Claire Tang picked up the upset victory. Takahashi and Chang were the runner-up team in league individuals last season, and now move to 11-1 overall this season together (6-0 in league play).

Cate also received wins from Claire Bianchi and Evita Ferrone in singles and from Elsie Chamberlain, Chelsea Newlove, Ivy Huang, Gwendi Rogers, Edie Abbott, Riya Mitera, and Josie Goldhirsh in doubles.

What’s next for Cate Tennis?

Cate travels to Hope Ranch to play Laguna Blanca on Thursday at 3:30pm.

Cate Goes 2-0 on the Week, Closes in on Tri-Valley League Title

Cate girls’ tennis moves to 5-0 in league play (9-1 overall) with 17-1 wins over Villanova and Thacher. The team has now won 15-consecutive Tri-Valley League matches and looks set to claim the league title with just three matches remaining.

How it Happened

The Rams were led in both contests by freshman Ivy Huang, who is 11-0 in league play so far this season and dropped just 2 games across 5 sets this week. Frosh combo Jade Wang and Lisa Hasebe we’re similarly dominant at the top doubles line, going 3-0 and dropping just a single game.

Cate got singles sweeps from junior captain Claire Bianchi and freshman Elly Edwards today against Thacher. Bianchi has been a critical utility player for Cate in the last few years, darting back and forth between singles and doubles as-needed, while Edwards made her singles debut.

Another stand-out performance came from junior Elsie Chamberlain and freshman Chelsea Newlove, who combined for the doubles sweep in both matches this week. The pair are 8-0 when playing together.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

It’s a real luxury as a coach to have such a strong and versatile team. I keep asking players to try out different roles and everyone has been very willing to give it a go, which is a lot of fun.

I don’t think we’ve played the same lineup twice so far this season, but we’re starting to see some strong partnerships form and also seeing what potential different players have in the singles lineup. This type of strategic lineup configuration was critical to our CIF Championship last season, so it’s great to see so many potential options available to us again this year.

What’s Next for Cate Tennis?

The Rams play have league matches on Tuesday and Thursday next week, beginning with a home match against Foothill Tech and then an away match in Hope Ranch against Laguna Blanca.

Rams take Owls 16-2

The Rams continue the march towards an undefeated league season with another impressive performance against last year’s Tri-Valley League runner-up team, Laguna Blanca.

The match featured wins from all 11 Cate players in attendance on the day, with Edie Abbott taking a third-round win at #3 singles and Gwendi Rogers pairing with Colette Chang to go 2-0 on the day at the top doubles position.

In singles, Cate got convincing sweeps from freshmen Ivy Huang and Jade Wang, who dropped just 2 games each across their 6 sets-of-play. Only slightly more impressive was the perfect doubles performance frosh combo Elly Edwards and Claire Tang had at #2 doubles, with the pair recording 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 set-wins.

The Rams will rest up for the remainder of the week before returning to play against Villanova High School in Ojai at 3:30pm on Tuesday, October 1st.

Cate Goes 2-1 in SB Invitational Tournament

Cate Girls’ Tennis moves to 6-1 overall this season, with a 5th place showing in the 3rd Annual Santa Barbara Invitational Tournament.

Rancho Bernardo d. Cate 4-2

Cate opened the tournament on Friday against the #2-seed, Rancho Bernardo from North County San Diego. The match was competitive throughout, with the final score (2-4) belying the fact that at one point Cate School was just 7 points short of a 3-3 tie that would have resulted in a win on games.

Bright spots for Cate included wins from Lisa Hasebe at #3 singles (6-0, 6-2) and from Claire Tang/Elsie Chamberlain at #3 doubles (6-3, 7-5). Freshman Jade Wang put in a very strong performance against the Rancho Bernardo #2, UTR 6.3-rated Vennela Thangella (3-6, 5-7).

Colette Chang and Reyna Takahashi held a 6-4, 4-1 lead at #1 doubles before Rancho Bernardo came roaring back to win the deciding match in a 10-point tie-breaker.

Cate d. San Dieguito 5-1

Cate rebounded this morning with a convincing win over San Dieguito Academy of Encinitas, also a North County San Diego program. Cate took control early and never let up, winning 5 of the first 6 sets in convincing fashion.

Highlights included a clean sweep of the singles lines, with Huang, Wang, and Hasebe dropping just 4 games total across 6 sets-of-play. In doubles, Cate got a high-quality win from Chang and Takahashi, who took out the San Dieguito #1’s, a 4.5 UTR-rated team. Sophomore Claire Tang and freshman Chelsea Newlove paired for a 6-4, 6-3 win at the #3 spot.

Cate d. Arroyo Grande 5-1

The 5th place match, played at Pershing Park in Santa Barbara, featured Arroyo Grande of the CIF Central Section, fresh off their victory over local team San Marcos High School. Cate put on another outstanding display across the board, taking the first of what will be two matches between these teams on the season.

The Rams registered a doubles sweep this time, with Takahashi/Chang and Tang/Newlove reprising their partnerships at the #1 and #3 positions, while Lisa Hasebe moved to partner with freshman Elly Edwards at the #2 spot.

Cate also counted wins from Jade Wang at #2 (6-0, 6-3) and Claire Bianchi at #3 (6-2, 6-0), while freshman Ivy Huang battled competitively with UTR 5.9-rated senior Elliane Cha at the top slot in the lineup (4-6, 2-6).

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

It was an awesome weekend for us, and one that came as a bit of a surprise when we got the last-minute call-up to enter the tournament two weeks out. We’ve got a team that loves high-level competition and there was lots to be had this weekend. For some of our players, being pushed by stronger opponents in this tournament was absolutely crucial in starting to build up to our mid-season level.

Since we hadn’t counted on being involved in this tournament when we did our scheduling, we actually ended up with 5 matches in 5 days, but the girls seemed to come through it quite well. We dropped our 21-match win-streak yesterday, but it’s nice to come out of the weekend with a 2-match streak already started!

I want to highlight the phenomenal play of Jade Wang, who really shined this weekend, both in victory and defeat. Lisa Hasebe was also performing like clock-work this weekend, going 2-0 in singles and then 1-0 in doubles, dropping just 8 games in 6 sets-of-play.

What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

Cate will play again on Tuesday, September 24th at home against league rival Laguna Blanca at 3pm.

Cate Downs Dragons 16-2

Cate Girls’ Tennis wins again, moving to 4-0 on the season (2-0 in league play) with a dominant performance at Ventura College against Foothill Tech. This marks 21 consecutive wins and 12 consecutive in league play, dating back to the 2022 season.

How it Happened

Cate got sweeps from sophomore Lisa Hasebe and freshman Jade Wang in singles, while junior captain Claire Bianchi went 2-1 on the day.

In doubles, frosh combo Claire Tang and Ivy Huang defeated the Foothill Tech #1’s 6-2. Senior captain Colette Chang partnered with freshman Elly Edwards to go 3-0 on the day, dropping just 2 games total.

Junior/freshman pairing Elsie Chamberlain and Chelsea Newlove added 6-0, 6-1 wins, while Edie Abbott and Evita Ferrone each went 1-0 on the day.

What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

Tomorrow, Cate will host the first round of the 3rd Annual Santa Barbara Invitational, with opponent Rancho Bernardo traveling north from CIF’s San Diego District for the 3pm match. On Saturday, the winner will face the winner of SBHS v. San Dieguito, while the losing squads will play on the opposing side of the compass draw format. A final round will be played at Noon, with both match locations for Saturday TBD.

Cate Defeats Thacher, Moves to 3-0

Cate Girls’ Tennis moves to 3-0 on the season (1-0 in Tri-Valley League Play) with a 17-1 win over Thacher School of Ojai.

How it happened

It was all Cate from start to finish, with the Rams dropping just a single set to the #3 singles player from Thacher. A total of 13 Cate players got involved, each recording at least one win on the day.

Sophomore Reyna Takahashi and junior Claire Bianchi led the line for Cate in singles play, each going 3-0 on the day, while freshman Ivy Huang and junior Elsie Chamberlain each added a win.

In doubles, Cate was utterly dominant, recording three 6-0 sets against the Thacher #1 team. Freshman Chelsea Newlove opened her Cate account by going 3-0 on the day in doubles, while sophomore Lisa Hasebe and freshman Elly Edwards did the same, each with various partners as the match progressed.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

It’s always good to see everyone able to get involved in the win. In addition to the usual suspects, we had strong performances from 6 first-year players, which bodes well for the future. We also got to try out some new doubles combinations, which I think is valuable information going forward.

What’s Next for Cate Tennis?

Cate plays at Ventura College this Thursday at 3:30pm against league opponent Foothill Tech.

Cate Takes Down Santa Ynez 8-1

Cate Girls’ Tennis defeated the Santa Ynez Pirates to remain unbeaten on the season. The non-league match was played using the CIF Central Section format, similar to that of NCAA tennis, featuring 3 doubles teams contesting an 8-game pro-set, before a round of 6 singles players hit the courts for a 2-of-3 set match. In the end, despite a strong challenge from the Pirates, particularly in doubles, Cate rolled to an 8-1 win.

How it Happened

The match began with very even doubles play from both teams, with Cate holding a slight edge at #2 and #3 doubles and Santa Ynez leading in the early-going at #1.

Sophomore Reyna Takahashi and freshman Ivy Huang came to the edge of defeat, going down 3-7, before mounting a massive comeback. The pair managed to rattle off 6 straight games for a 9-7 win at the #1 spot.

Junior/freshman combo Claire Bianchi and Elly Edwards held a one-game lead through 5-5, before winning the final 3 games to close out their match at #3 doubles.

Despite carrying a lead into the middle of the pro-set, senior/freshman combo Colette Chang and Jade Wang were unable to complete the sweep, dropping the final 3 games at the #2 spot, finishing at 7-9.

In singles, Cate came out roaring with Ivy Huang at #1, Jade Wang at #3, and Claire Bianchi at #4, who all took quick first-set wins. Huang and Bianchi continued to cruise in the second set, while Wang faced a tough challenge from her opponent, but ultimate prevailed 6-4 in the second set.

Reyna Takahashi faced an early challenge from Santa Ynez #2 Haley Townes (UTR 4.1), who held a 4-3 lead. However, Takahashi hung tough and play some strong tennis to close out the first set 6-4 and never looked back, closing out the second set 6-1.

At 5 and 6 singles, sophomore Claire Tang and junior Elsie Chamberlain entered the match with fresh legs and determination. Both players took 3-2 leads, at which point Chamberlain rattled off 9 straight games to close out the win at #6. For Tang, many 50+ ball rallies were needed to squeak out the 7-5 first set, but the effort paid off, as she then had a much easier path to a 6-0 win in the second set at the #5 spot.

What’s Next for Cate Tennis?

Cate enters league play next week, with matches against Thacher (Tuesday, home) and Foothill Tech (Thursday, away). The team will then set its sights on the 3rd Annual Santa Barbara Invitational Tournament crown, with matches scheduled for Friday and Saturday (September 20-21).

Cate Opens Title Defense with Nail-Biter Win!

There was no shortage of suspense on Cate Mesa today, as the defending CIF D3 Champs got the season underway against D2 Quarterfinalist, Dos Pueblos High School. The match finished locked in a 9-9 tie, with games tied 73-73, triggering a round of tie-breakers to decide the winner.

How it Happened

The first round proved the two teams to be evenly matched, with DP taking 2-of-3 singles sets, while Cate School countered with 2-of-3 in doubles play.

Jade Wang opened her Cate career with a 6-0 victory at #3 singles, while sophomore Lisa Hasebe and freshman Ivy Huang were unable to overcome the deadly DP duo of junior Melisandre Mayo (UTR 6.7) and senior Ellie Triplett (UTR 5.7).

Hasebe would rally to take her next two sets, including a 6-0 win over Triplett, while Huang added a 6-0 win and battled for 3 important games against Mayo.

In doubles, lone Cate senior Colette Chang partnered with sophomore Reyna Takahashi for a clean sweep at doubles line 1 (6-3, 6-2, 6-3). Junior Pyper Davis partnered with freshman Elly Edwards for two wins on the day (1-6, 7-5, 6-3).

Upon completing the 18-set match, and after a flurry of counting and re-counting, it was determined that the two teams would return to the courts to play out a round-robin set of 18 tie-breakers to decide the match.

Dos Pueblos struck first, with upset wins at #3 singles and #1 doubles, but steady play from juniors Claire Bianchi and Elsie Chamberlain returned the favor, keeping Cate in the hunt. However, DP surged to a 9-5 lead with a pair of singles and doubles breakers remaining.

Cate got a boost from Huang against the #3 singles player, while Chang/Takahashi and Davis/Edwards battled through tight matchups to 8-6 and 11-9 wins (respectively).

With the tally standing at 8-9 and Cate up by a single point in the event of a tie, the match hung in the balance of the Mayo v. Wang matchup. In her first match at Cate, Jade Wang regained her focus after losing her first two tie-breakers to defeat the defending Channel League singles champion 7-4. The upset win sealed the match, with Cate taking victory on a 9-9 tie that ended 106-102 after the points count-back.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

This is my 31st season as a high school tennis coach, between boys and girls and I’ve never seen this before. The probability of a tie in sets, games, and tie-breakers is infinitesimal. It was a total playoff atmosphere even though we’ve only been in school for 4 days and this was our first match of the season.

I’m so impressed by the way both teams competed today, and would have been happy to have had the quality match-play even if we’d lost. To win, and with our freshmen starters Jade, Ivy, and Elly all playing a crucial role at the end, well, that’s something special.

We won this match as a team, with every single player in the lineup contributing key wins at key moments. To do so this early in the season suggests last year’s CIF Championship win wasn’t a one-off and I’m sure this win will serve us well as we work towards another deep November run.

What’s Next for Cate Tennis?

The Cate girls will now head out into the various wilderness areas of California for outings week, before returning to face Santa Ynez High School in another non-league match on Thursday, September 12th (away).