Category: Cate Girls’ Tennis

Cate Adds Pair of Wins, Remains Undefeated

Cate Girls’ Tennis moves to 4-0 overall (3-0 in Tri-Valley League play) with back-to-back wins over league rivals Laguna Blanca and Foothill Tech.

Cate @ Laguna Blanca: 10-8 Win

Cate got nearly flawless performances from its formidable top two singles lines, with sweeps from Alyna Takahashi (6-0, 6-1, 6-2) and Lisa Hasebe (6-1, 6-0, 6-1). Claire Bianchi helped with the singles result by recording a 6-4 set-win over the Laguna #2 player Danica Damiani and battling mightily with 6-7 and 5-7 sets in her other two rounds.

In doubles, freshman Reyna Takahashi made her season debut, partnering with senior Sophie Alijani to win 2-of-3 sets at the #1 position. Caroline Batchelder and Elsie Chamberlain added the lone additional set with a win over Laguna’s #2 team in the first round.

Cate v. Foothill Tech: 13-5 Win

In singles play, Cate continued to get strong performances from its top singles players. Alyna Takahashi and Lisa Hasebe swept while dropping just 3 games total between them in 6 sets-of-play. Claire Bianchi added 2 sets, giving Cate 8-of-9 in singles.

Senior Captain Alyna Takahashi goes airborne for the forehand winner over Foothill Tech #1, Kira Branson

In doubles, Foothill returned their two-time defending league champion doubles team and Cate was unable to break their unbeaten streak. Cate fared better at the other two doubles positions, with Reyna Takahashi/Sophie Alijani and Caroline Batchelder/Elsie Chamberlain both taking two wins. New freshman combo Gwendi Rogers and Sophie Blank added a win and battled to a 4-6 set against the Foothill Tech #2 team.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

I was pleased to see how strong Laguna’s team is this year, particularly in singles. It’s always good to have solid opponents in league play, and they gave us a chance for our singles players to show what they can do! Alyna, Lisa, and Claire all got a lot of quality match-play in the week, with more still to come on Friday.

We’ve also started to find some good doubles combinations, although we’ve still not played a match with all players available yet. Caroline and Elsie were a bit of a revelation, playing quite well together despite never having played together before.

What’s next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

Cate returns to action on Friday at home, facing a formidable D1 opponent in Camarillo High School.

Cate Opens Tri-Valley League Play with 14-4 Win over Providence

Cate moved to 2-0 on the season and 1-0 in league play with a dominant performance against Providence High School.

The win was headlined by singles sweeps from Cate sophomore Claire Bianchi and freshman Lisa Hasebe and a doubles sweep by the senior duo of Sophie Alijani/Frances Davis.

How it Happened

In singles play, Alyna Takahashi played just the first round, recording a 6-0 victory before giving way to freshman Sophie Blank, who finished 1-1 on the day. Hasebe moves to 5-1, while Bianchi remains a perfect 6-0 on the season between singles and doubles play.

In doubles, Davis moves to 6-0, while Alijani is now 4-2. The Rams also got a pair of wins from senior/sophomore combo Caroline Batchelder/Elsie Chamberlain, who partnered together for the first time. Sophomore Pyper Davis and her freshman partner Gwendi Rogers added a win in three sets-of-play.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

I was pleased with the progress our doubles has made in playing more aggressively, although I know we’ve still got room for improvement there. The energy was good and the effort level was high!

In singles, we got some very steady play from all four girls and I think each of them found opportunities to work on parts of their game that will benefit them later in the season. It’s especially exciting to see some of our youngest players succeeding in important roles on the team at this early stage.

We also got a visit from key members of the Cate graduating classes of 2015 and 2017, who helped bring Cate girls’ tennis to prominence as the first team in school history to play in Division 1. Victoria and Eva Herman are also cousins of current player Claire Bianchi, and one of 5 sets of sisters I’ve had the privilege to coach at Cate in the last 15 years!

What’s next for Cate Tennis?

Cate will see a flurry of activity next week, with matches scheduled for Tuesday (@Laguna Blanca), Wednesday (Foothill Tech), and Friday (Camarillo). Until then, it’s practice and heal up for the Rams.

Cate Opens Season with 10-8 Win at Dos Pueblos

Cate girls’ tennis got the season off to a flying start with a narrow victory over CIF Division 2 opponent Dos Pueblos High School of Goleta.

How it happened

Senior Alyna Takahashi led the line for the lady Rams with a dominant 6-2 performance over UTR 5-rated Ellie Triplett. Freshman Lisa Hasebe made her debut at #2 singles with a gutsy 6-3 victory, while sophomore Elsie Chamberlain added a 6-2 win at #3 singles.

In doubles, the Chargers struck back with a 6-0 win at #3 doubles and a narrow 6-4 win at #2. However, the senior/sophomore combination of Frances Davis and Claire Bianchi came through with a 6-4 set-win at the top doubles position.

The Cate #1 doubles team went on to finish 3-0 on the day, with a second senior/sophomore combo Sophie Alijani/Pyper Davis adding a set to the doubles tally.

In singles, Takahashi finished the day 3-0, while Hasebe added a second set-win to finish 2-1 on the day.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

I will extremely impressed with the way we responded to an early-season challenge. Despite minimal time to prepare and putting some doubles combos together without a single practice set, we managed to bring a high level against a strong opponent.

Alyna was firing on all cylinders and Lisa stepped up to the challenge of getting thrown into the singles lineup right away. We also got some clutch play from our senior/sophomore combos in doubles, which was so great to see without the chance yet to establish longer-term partnerships.

I see it as the first step forward in what we’re hoping will be a long and fruitful season in CIF Division 3.

What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

Cate will return from outings week to open Tri-Valley League play against Providence High School at the Municipal Courts of Santa Barbara.

Cate Exits D2 Playoffs after 7-11 Loss to Oak Park

The CIF Division 2 match was played at Oak Park, with morning rain giving way to sunshine on a windy autumn day. Despite a valiant effort, Cate Girls’ Varsity Tennis was unable to extend the 2022 season, falling 7-11 to #6-seed Oak Park.

Cate got off to a slow start, with #2 singles player Frances Davis out sick and a nationally-ranked singles player leading the line for Oak Park.

Niyati Guram defeated Cate #1 Alyna Takahashi 6-1, although Takahashi would recover to finish 2-1 on the day. Only the #2 doubles pairing of senior Ellie Tunnell and junior Sophie Alijani were able to take victory in the opening round, with a 5-5 set that ended in an injury default.

Cate rallied mightily in the second round, with a tie-break win for freshman Claire Bianchi against Oak Park #3 Shrya Alavarti, helping to keep the match from getting out of reach. Ella and Colette Chang came back from 1-3 down to add a doubles win and Tunnell/Alijani also won, bringing the match score back to 5-7.

In the third round, Cate received a quick win from Takahashi and the Chang Sisters ended older sister Ella Chang’s high school career with a dynamic performance ending in a backhand poach-winner from the older sister on match-point.

Oak Park took a 9-7 lead with wins at #2 and #3 singles, before their top doubles team rallied from love-40 at 4-5 down just as their #2 doubles team also recovered from 4-5 down to regain the lead over Cate’s senior/freshman #3’s Athena Ke/Pyper Davis. In the end, Oak Park would take the win 7-5 over Tunnell/Alijani to clinch the match and moments later a 7-5 win over Ke and Davis completed the match.

Cate finishes the season 6-4, having taken 2nd place in Tri-Valley League play and qualifying for CIF Playoffs for the 10th-consecutive season. Cate girls’ tennis also has the honor of being the smallest school (by enrollment size) to compete at the CIF Division 2 level and will likely return 6-of-9 starters for the 2023 season.

Cate Wins Big on Parents’ Weekend

Cate girls’ tennis got Parents’ Weekend off to a strong start, recording a 13-4 victory over Thacher in Ojai.

Cate has now completed regular season play, finishing 6-2 in Tri-Valley League play and 6-3 overall. The team has also qualified for CIF Playoffs for the 11th consecutive year.

How it Happened

Cate jumped out to a 6-0 lead with wins from Alyna Takahashi, Frances Davis, and Claire Bianchi in singles and Ella Chang/Colette Chang, Ellie Tunnell/Sophie Alijani, and Athena Ke/Pyper Davis in doubles.

Junior Annie Chian subbed in for Pyper Davis against the Thacher #1’s, rallying from 1-5 down with Ke to take a 7-5 win. The pair cruised to a 6-1 win in the final round, collecting a Cate sweep for doubles line #3 on the day. Sisters Ella and Colette Chang also swept, with a trio of 6-1 wins at the #1 line.

Freshman Elsie Chamberlain again made the most of her opportunity as a substitute, moving to 8-3 on the season in singles play with a 6-4 win over the Thacher #3.

The match was followed by the Ojai tennis tradition of Boccali’s strawberry shortcake, with Cate coming out the 5-0 winner against the shortcakes. Numerous pizzas suffered a similar fate.

What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

Six Cate players will compete individually this coming Tuesday in the league tournament, which will also be hosted by Cate this season. The following Monday, Cate will learn its playoff draw, with play to commence on Wednesday, November 2nd.

Cate Splits Week of League Matches

Cate Girls’ Tennis has gone 1-1 in Tri-Valley League play this week, falling 7-11 to Foothill Tech on Tuesday before rebounding with a 16-2 victory over Laguna Blanca.

Cate @ Foothill Tech: 7-11 Loss

In another very close match, Cate came up short against Foothill Tech, going 0-6 against the #1 positions in singles and doubles. Conversely, Cate went 6-0 against the #3 singles and doubles positions, suggesting that Foothill took the win with a strong upper end of the lineup, while Cate may in fact have more depth.

A bright spot for Cate, junior Sophie Alijani and freshman Claire Bianchi went 2-1 on the day and freshman Elsie Chamberlain took a win as a substitute singles player. Freshman Pyper Davis also had a win, pairing with senior Athena Ke. Three freshman accounting for 4-of-7 set-wins suggests Cate has room to grow in the future.

Cate v. Laguna Blanca: 16-2 Win

The rebound was swift and severe for Cate tennis, as they put in an absolutely dominant performance against visiting Laguna Blanca. Through the first two rounds-of-play, Cate went a perfect 12-0 before making a number of substitutions.

The win was spear-headed by seniors at the #1 singles and doubles positions, with Ellie Tunnell going 2-0 on the day and Ella Chang/Athena Ke paired for a 3-0 day in doubles. The match will be the last regular season home game for the trio, who celebrated senior day with a special recognition from the team during introductions.

Freshman Claire Bianchi continued to impress, going 3-0 in her first singles play of the season, while usual #1 player Alyna Takahashi added 6-1, 6-0 set-scores against the top-2 players from Laguna. Freshman Elsie Chamberlain has quietly moved to 7-3 on the season in singles play as a substitute after taking a tie-break set-win against Danica Damiana of Laguna Blanca.

In doubles, junior/sophomore combo Sophie Alijani and Colette Chang joined Chang/Ke with a sweep of their three rounds, while sisters Frances and Pyper Davis chipped in 2 wins on the day from the #3 doubles position.

What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

Cate, now 5-3 overall (5-2 in league play) will close out regular season play next Thursday at Thacher School in Ojai. The following week will see Cate team-members participating in Tri-Valley League Individuals, followed by a run at the CIF Division 2 playoffs in early November.

Cate Wins 15-3 in League Match Against Providence

Cate girls’ tennis (4-2) emerged with a 15-3 victory over Providence High School (6-4), following on the heels of a 14-4 win against Thacher on Tuesday.

Cate singles put together a perfect day, with Frances Davis and Ellie Tunnell sweeping their three sets and Alyna Takahashi and Elsie Chamberlain sharing the #1-line duties for a sweep.

In doubles, Cate got three wins from sophomore Colette Chang, who partnered with sister Ella Chang in the first round and Annie Chian in the remaining two sets. First-year varsity players Athena Ke and Pyper Davis added two sets, while Sophie Alijani/Claire Bianchi chipped in another set.

The third consecutive win in league play puts Cate solidly in the playoff picture, with a chance to claim a share of the Tri-Valley league title with a win over Foothill Tech this coming Tuesday.

In the first meeting, Cate dropped three tie-break sets and ended up losing 8-10, so the match, held at Ventura City College, is likely to be very close again.

Cate Narrowly defeated by Foothill Tech

Cate girls’ tennis fell by a final score of 10-8 today against visiting league rival Foothill Tech. The match was an absolute nail-biter, with the score going neck-and-neck throughout the first two hours of play.

Cate picked up a crucial win from #1 singles player Alyna Takahashi, who defeated Foothill’s Kira Branson 6-2. Takahashi would go on to win her remaining sets and move to 6-0 in Tri-Valley League play.

Foothill responded with a quick win at #3 doubles, but Cate countered with a 6-3 win from Sophie Alijani and Claire Bianchi at the #2 spot. Cate also got a crucial victory from freshman Elsie Chamberlain, who finished the day 2-0.

The final two sets of the first round ended with tie-break wins from Foothill Tech at #2 singles and #1 doubles, the result being a 3-3 tie instead of a 5-1 Cate lead.

In the second set, Cate took two sets again in singles, but failed to scratch across three doubles sets, that also included another tie-break loss against the visiting team’s #1 doubles pair. Alijani and Bianchi even had a set-point serving at 5-4, but were pushed back by a determined Foothill team that played some of their best tennis in the crucial moments.

Round three began with Cate slightly ahead in overall games won, but down 5-7 in sets, meaning they’d need 4-of-6 sets in the final round to take victory. Cate singles took 2-of-3 in quick order, with junior Frances Davis breaking through for her only win of the day at an important moment.

With the doubles left on-court, Cate faced an uphill battle, starting down 0-3, 1-2, and 0-3 across the three courts. Top Cate duo Ella and Colette Chang rallied, winning their last 5 games for their first set-win on the day, but Cate’s #2 and #3 teams were unable to get past their foes, resulting in a loss by the narrowest of margins.

Cate, now 1-2 overall, will play again on Tuesday, traveling away for the first time this season to face Laguna Blanca in Hope Ranch.

Cate Takes First Win of Season Against Providence

Cate girls’ tennis got off the mark with a 14-4 win over league rival Providence High School, moving to 1-1 on the season.

The win was anything but assured in the early going, with Cate missing a senior captain and the score locked at 2-2. The remaining matches in round 1 were a closely contested battle between the top doubles teams and a #2 doubles match that was led 5-0 by Providence.

Sisters Ella and Collette Chang overcame nerves in the back-and-forth battle at #1 doubles to take a 7-1 tie-break win. Meanwhile, junior Sophie Alijani and Claire Bianchi overcame the 0-5 deficit to rattle off 7 straight games, giving Cate a 4-2 set-lead at the end of the round.

Alijani and Bianchi would go on to win a total of 17 straight games, going 3-0 on the day. The Changs also swept, while first-year varsity players Athena Ke and Pyper Davis took 2-of-3 from the #3 spot.

In singles, junior Alyna Takahashi was dominant, winning her sets 6-2, 6-1, 6-0. Junior Frances Davis was impressive with her determination and consistency, taking 2-of-3, while freshman call-up Elsie Chamberlain fought gamely through the first two sets before breaking through for her first win of the season in the final round-of-play.

Cate will face their Tri-Valley League Co-Champions from last season, Foothill Tech, on Friday on Cate Mesa at 4pm.