Tag: CIF Playoffs

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 Loses to Campbell Hall in CIF D2 Semifinal Heart-breaker

The Rams were unable to advance to their second-consecutive CIF Final, falling 8-10 in a 4hr match to visiting Campbell Hall. The Studio City powerhouse program now stands as the hot favorite to win this year’s D2 title on Friday.

How it Happened

Ivy Huang, playing under-the-weather, was absolutely defiant of her circumstances in her first two rounds, winning two 6-0 sets (including one over a very strong player with wins at the UTR 5+ level). She battled to the bitter end against Campbell Hall #1 Audyssie James, who has recorded wins over UTR 7.3, 6.5, 6.3, and 6.1 players already this season.

Claire Bianchi played the best tennis of her season, battling gamely with the top 2 from Campbell Hall and picking up a 6-0 win against the #3. Claire Tang, also playing at less than 100%, was equally impressive with a 6-0 win and freshman Elly Edwards slotted into the singles lineup to take on the top-2, allowing Tang to save energy for the must-win match.

With 4 wins in singles, Cate had accomplished its objective with a strategic lineup that placed #2 and #3 singles players into the doubles lineup with minimal loss. Said players, Jade Wang/Lisa Hasebe, and Reyna Takahashi/Colette Chang nearly pulled off the upset wins against the Campbell Hall #1’s, who were on a 27-match win-streak going into the day.

Those 5-7 sets kept Cate in the hunt for a win on games in a 9-9 tie; as the final round began, Cate was down 7-8 in sets, but exactly even on games (62-62). After taking a 6-2 win in the first round, #3 doubles team Elsie Chamberlain and Chelsea Newlove took 2 critical games from the Campbell Hall #1-pair. Shortly after that result, Chang and Takahashi recorded a 6-3 win, bringing the match to 8-9, 70-71.

A two-game winning margin for Hasebe and Wang would be enough to secure the overall win by a single game, but the pair fell behind early. Despite trailing, the current TVL doubles individuals champion team clawed their way back into the match, finally leveling it at 5-5. Due to all the closely contested doubles sets across the board, this would be a pause-point in the match, with the teams and their fans relocating to Santa Barbara Polo & Tennis Club to finish the match on their lighted courts.

Hasebe came out firing after the 30-minute interlude, making 4 of 6 first-serves and lifting Cate to a 6-5 lead. Despite going down 15-40, Hasebe and Wang again clawed their way back to deuce, then fought off an ad-point. With deuce-plus-one scoring, this brought a match-point to Cate, with Campbell Hall serving.

It was not to be though, as a 9-ball exchange ended with the Campbell Hall volleyer collecting the point with an accidental winner off the side of the racquet that just cleared the net.

Just like that, instead of a bid for the CIF D2 Championship, Hasebe and Wang were instead fighting for their playoff lives in a tie-breaker. The breaker started off evenly, but Campbell Hall secured the mini-break at 4-2 and rattled off 3 more points consecutively to end the match.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

There’s just no easy way to say it’s the end of the season for Cate Girls’ Tennis; I need time to process this loss just as much as the girls. We really played our hearts out for each other every set today, coming to within a single point of clinching a second-consecutive CIF Finals berth.

The team played ferociously and we were well-supported by school faculty, administrators, fellow students, and our excellent assistant coach, Mark Polowczak. We have a lot for which to be proud and even more for which to be thankful.

We finish the season 17-2 overall, with wins over D2’s #2 and #10-seeded teams, as well as wins over D4, D5, and D6 semifinalists, and CIF Central Section’s D2 Champions Santa Ynez.

I hope that this young team will be able to learn and improve as a result of both the successes of this playoff run, as well as the bitter defeat. We started 4 freshman, 2 sophomores, 2 juniors, and just a single senior today, which means we’ve really only just begun with this group. The best lies ahead.

Cate Tennis Upends #2-Seed Sunny Hills in CIF D2 Quarterfinals

Cate Girls’ Tennis won a 10-8 decision over visiting Sunny Hills High School today to book a berth in the CIF Division 2 Semifinals. The match moves Cate to 17-1 overall this season and marks the first time the team has ventured past the D2 Quarterfinals in three tries (loss, 2015 and 2016).

How it Happened

In order to overcome the top-seeded team on the bottom half of the draw, Cate would need to dominate doubles play. Sunny Hills top player Daniela Borruel will be putting on a USC uniform next fall and has consistently featured in her graduating class’ top-10 in national rankings. Maya Orton, playing number 2 for Sunny Hills is also a serious tournament player, currently rated just under the UTR 6 level.

Cate counted on TVL all-league first team combo Colette Chang and Reyna Takahashi to lead the doubles line, with the pair finishing the day 3-0 (6-1, 6-2, 6-3). Elsie Chamberlain and Chelsea Newlove, a staple at the #3 spot this season, added a sweep of their own, including a tie-break first-set win that would later prove crucial. Lisa Hasebe and Elly Edwards added one win on the day.

In singles play, no Cate player was able to scrape together a game against Borruel, however Ivy Huang and Jade Wang both played relatively close in level to Orton. The key was always winning at the #3 line. With Huang and Wang winning 6-0 and 6-2, sophomore Claire Tang subbed in for Claire Bianchi in the third round as a key element to the Cate gameplay. Tang was resolute in her consistency, battling through many long rallies to take a 6-3 victory with the final 3 doubles matches on the court.

Hasebe and Edwards got down 1-5 before fighting back to 4-5 against the #3 team from Sunny Hills, but were able to go no further, leaving the match tied 8-8 and Sunny Hills holding a 5 game margin in the event of a 9-9 tie.

With the match on the line, Chang/Takahashi got out to a 5-2 lead, while Chamberlain/Newlove were trading games until the finally broke ahead with two consecutive games to go up 5-4. The final two points of the match were played out simultaneously on courts 4 and 5 on Cate Mesa, with Chang/Takahashi finishing first with a 6-2 win. Just a few shots later, Chamberlain/Newlove clinched the match with a 6-4 victory, taking Cate to 10 wins and the CIF Semifinal round.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

This was one of those matches you know will be a nail-biter before things even get started. We match up well with this team in that we have enough depth to get past teams with one or two great singles players, but frankly, I was impressed by the level of the Sunny Hills doubles lineup, too. Our girls really had to fight for those doubles wins, which have often come effortlessly to us this season.

In particularly, Chelsea Newlove and Elsie Chamberlain came up big for us in the crucial moments. Their tie-break win in the first round was what ended up keeping us in the match until the final set, which was their win over the #1 team from Sunny Hills. They played great together throughout the day, and their chemistry as our most consistently-paired doubles team really showed.

Another huge component was the way Ivy, Jade, and Claire took care of business against the Sunny Hills #3 player. We absolutely needed those wins, and Claire in particular, coming off the bench in the 3rd round to keep us in the match with her steady play; that was a master-class in patience and determination.

In this team, everyone has had their moment to make the difference this season. Each time we’ve been in a tight spot, someone has answered the call for the team. That’s what makes Cate Girls’ Tennis so special.

What’s Next For Cate Girls’ Tennis

Cate will host the CIF D2 Semifinal match against Campbell Hall at 1:30pm on Wednesday, November 13th. Campbell Hall comes off an 11-7 win over Whitney High School, while on the other side of the draw, Brentwood will face Chadwick. The winners of Wednesday’s matches will face each other in the CIF Finals at University of Redlands at 2pm on Friday, November 15th.

Cate Serves Saints 15-3 Loss in CIF 2nd Round

The Rams recorded a resounding 15-3 victory over visiting Xavier Prep in today’s CIF D2 playoff match. Cate moves to 16-1 and will return to the CIF Quarterfinals while Xavier Prep falls to 14-3 to end their season.

How it Happened

It was all Cate all day, with the Rams opening a 5-1 lead in the opening round. Ivy Huang, Jade Wang, and Reyna Takahashi swept singles play with a trio of 6-0 wins, while Lisa Hasebe/Colette Chang and Elly Edwards/Chelsea Newlove added 6-1, 6-3 doubles set-wins, respectively.

Singles dropped just 1 game in a second-round sweep, before a hockey-style line-change brought Edie Abbott, Gwendi Rogers, and Claire Bianchi in for the third round. Abbott and Rogers opened their playoff accounts with a pair of 6-4 wins, while Bianchi was unable to overcome Xavier Prep’s top player on the day.

In doubles, Hasebe and Change finished the day undefeated, dropping just 5 games across their three sets. Edwards and Newlove went 2-1 and new pairing Claire Tang and Elsie Chamberlain won their final two sets to also go 2-1 on the day.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

After a tight one on the road against Arcadia on Wednesday, it was great to be back on familiar ground for this match. I anticipated we’d have the personnel advantage in this one, but it was still great to see the way the girls performed today. It’s clear many of our players are peaking at just the right moment of the season, so I’m cautiously optimistic we’re headed towards another deep playoff run and chance at the title.

What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

Cate plays next on Monday at 2pm against the winner of #2-seeded Sunny Hills and Temecula Valley. Should the #2 seed advance, we’ll play at home in Carpinteria, but if Temecula prevails, it’s back to the road for another long one!

Cate Opens 2024 CIF Playoff Account with 10-8 Win

The Rams defeated CIF D2 #10-seed Arcadia High School 10-8 in a close first round playoff match.

How it Happened

Cate’s top singles player, freshman Ivy Huang, vaulted Cate to an early lead with a 6-1 win against Arcadia senior Anastasia Jorniak (UTR 5.5). Fellow freshman Jade Wang followed suit with a 6-0 win over a UTR 4.2 player, while Reyna Takahashi re-entered the singles lineup for a 6-1 victory at #3.

Cate’s singles lineup was dominant through the day, winning 7-of-9 sets, and setting the table for a Cate victory.

Arcadia fielded a stronger, more experienced doubles lineup, taking 5-0 leads at lines 1 and 2 before eventually closing those sets out 6-3 and 6-1, respectively. Junior Elsie Chamberlain and freshman Chelsea Newlove briefly led at #3 doubles but were unable to put Cate doubles on the board in the first round, eventually falling 4-6.

In round two, Cate mounted a comeback, taking strong leads at #1 and #2 doubles, with senior/sophomore combo Colette Chang/Lisa Hasebe taking a 6-1 win and freshman/sophomore combo Elly Edwards/Claire Tang defeating the Arcadia #3 team 6-2.

Chang and Hasebe took a 6-1 set-win in the third round, which clinched the match for Cate with a 9th set-win. That was followed shortly after by a singles win from Takahashi to reach 10 and confirm the clear win without counting games.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

We have a young team, so facing a strong Arcadia squad away, fighting through traffic and arriving with little time to warm up, the message was clear: this is going to be a battle.

We had to fight for every point like it’s the only point; that’s what we agreed to in the huddle before taking the courts, and that’s the performance I got from the team today.

I’m so proud of this largely underclassmen team, which continues to perform well in high-pressure situations. Ivy was dominant today and showed why she’s our #1 singles player with that big win in the first round, but everyone chipped in. Though the first round was a 3-3 tie, we started to accumulate a significant lead in games right away, which took some of the pressure off in case of a 9-9 tie.

What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

The Rams return to Cate Mesa to host Xavier Prep of Palm Desert at 2pm on Friday, November 8th in the 2nd Round of CIF D2 Playoffs.

Cate Girls’ Tennis Wins First CIF D3 Championship

Cate girls’ tennis has completed a perfect 17-0 run through their 2023 campaign, taking the CIF D3 title match over Culver City, 11-7.

The match, played in the playoff atmosphere of The Claremont Club, was a Cate-led event from start to finish.

How it Happened:

The match opened with a dominant performance from senior-captain Alyna Takahashi, who took a 6-1 win over the Culver City #1. Similarly impressive, senior-freshman combo Frances Davis and Lisa Hasebe recorded a 6-0 set-win at #2 doubles in under 15 minutes.

Cate also got wins from Claire Bianchi at #2 singles and Sophie Alijani/Elsie Davis at #3 doubles, with #1 doubles team Colette Chang/Reyna Takahashi recovering from 1-3 down to win a 1:15 set, 7-5.

After the first round, the score stood at 5-1, with the lone win for Culver City coming from their #3 player, who would finish 3-0 on the day.

Cate continued to pour on the pressure with a flurry of quick wins in the second round, going up 8-2 at one point. There was a sense of certainty in the air as the Rams closed in on the championship win.

The match began to even out in the transition between the second and third round, with Culver City not yet ready to yield. Sophomore Pyper Davis took her much higher-ranked #1 opponent to a tiebreaker, but Culver squeaked by to stay in the match just a bit longer.

Cate was not to be denied, though, with Chang and Takahashi clinching the match on the strength of a 6-0 win in the third round, giving Cate a 10th win and reason to celebrate early.

The final match on court featured Sophie Alijani and sub-in Caroline Batchelder, both seniors who started their careers at Cate together battling to make the last varsity spots as freshmen three years earlier.

Batchelder’s entrance into the match was particularly meaningful, having just endured emergency appendix surgery two weeks earlier. Batchelder had started in almost every regular season match, but had not yet been able to participate in Cate’s historic playoff run.

In a moment of karmic justice, it was Batchelder who struck the final shot of the match, attacking the net with a backhand poach that sailed crisply through the seam between the Culver City #2 team’s players for a clean winner.

The team stormed the court to celebrate the win and the title of top team in CIF D3. The perfect season was complete!

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

What an incredible run this has been with such a special group of girls. We were challenged again and again this post-season, but every time we had the answer, including today.

I was particularly impressed by the way we came out firing in this finals match. This is my first championship team, so I guess it’s a new experience for me at this level, but as a coach you just know when your team is ready for the task at hand. Today, I felt that way right away and I think that really allowed us to enjoy the moment.

It’s hard to believe that after 17 matches and 17 wins, this season is finally over, but I know we’re all going to remember this for a long time to come. This is such a satisfying end to the season and I couldn’t be more proud of my girls.

Cate Girls’ Tennis Advance to first CIF Finals since 1999 with Come-from-behind Win

The perfect season continues for Cate girls’ tennis, thanks to some late-game heroics in the face of defeat. With a 6-8 deficit to Cerritos High School in the final round-of-play, Cate rallied to sweep the last 4 sets on-court for the 10-8 win.

Cate, now 16-0 overall on the season, overcame a Cerritos 1-2 combination that featured two players who have been nationally ranked in the top-100 for their classes on multiple occasions.

How it Happened:

The match remained tight through the first two rounds, with Cerritos dominating at #1 and #2 singles as well as #1 doubles, while Cate was equally impressive at the #2 and #3 doubles positions.

Cate kept hope alive also thanks to wins from Alyna Takahashi and Pyper Davis (6-2, 6-3 respectively) over the Cerritos #3. The match was locked at 6-6 after two rounds, setting up a nail-biter finale between the #2 and #3 seeds in CIF Division 3.

In the third round, Cerritos struck first, earning a pair of 6-0 wins from their singles standouts. The winning margins stacked the 9-9 tie game-count scenario in Cerritos’ favor, meaning the only way for Cate to win would be a clean sweep of the remaining sets.

Cate doubles set about the task, resolute and upbeat. Senior/sophomore combo Sophie Alijani and Elsie Chamberlain struck first with a convincing 6-1 win. Junior/Freshman combo Colette Chang and Reyna Takahashi followed quickly with a 6-2 set over the Cerritos #3’s.

Senior/freshman duo Frances Davis and Lisa Hasebe came out of the gates hot, battling aggressively against the Cerritos #1’s, who had only dropped two games total in the previous two rounds.

It was a different story against Davis and Hasebe, who controlled the set from the net, pummeling overheads and mixing in touch volleys.

With their opponents playing “two-back,” a familiar pattern repeated over and over. Davis worked the net while Hasebe patrolled the baseline, pulling her opponents off the court with her powerful lefty forehands and setting up the Davis smash.

Both Cate girls also served aggressively, creating lots of pop-ups and free points off the serve. At 3-2, Davis managed the pressure of a break point, coming back to take the game and create separation between the two teams. Cate then broke serve and followed up with a hold to clinch the 7th doubles set-win for Cate on the day, as well as the 9-8 lead overall.

Over on the remaining singles court, sophomore Claire Bianchi was in a battle of attrition with the Cerritos #3 player. Bianchi had started slowly, going down 1-3 and facing a 40-0 deficit in the fifth game, but her will did not falter.

Bianchi settled in for the long haul, accepting that she’d need to make 15-20 shots per point to force the error from her opponent. Five points later, Bianchi had turned that game around and put the match back on serve.

The Cate sophomore extended the streak to 7 consecutive points, completely changing the momentum of the match. By 4-3, her doubles teammates had all gathered to cheer her on, adding to the intensity of the deciding match and further tilting the advantage to Cate. Bianchi emerged victorious by a 6-3 final score, lifting Cate to the 10-8 win by sheer force of will.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

This is such an incredibly hard-fought result. Cerritos was a very strong team. They’ve got two college-level singles players, an absolute wall #3 singles player, a very solid #1 and competent doubles farther down the line. That’s usually a winning combination, but 16 times this season we’ve had the answer to whatever our opponents throw at us.

I can’t overstate how hard Alyna, Pyper, and Claire worked in singles to give us the chance to squeak through with our doubles strength. They were so composed and ready for those long points.

Equally, our doubles girls had to really be focused throughout the match. Their was no room for error, with our team essentially starting down 0-6 in singles.

Lisa and Frances have only played together 3 times this season, but it’s clear they’re a dynamic pairing. We knew going in we’d have to get at least one win over the Cerritos #1 doubles team, and when Reyna and Colette went down 0-6 in the first round, it was clear that was going to be a big ask.

Lisa and Frances came through with the best doubles performance of the season to accomplish that for us today. They executed what we call “Cate Doubles” with a complete absence of fear, despite the high stakes.

The bottom line is that every Cate player put it all on the line today, from the first point to the last, to get that collective victory and a shot at our first CIF Championship. I couldn’t be more proud of the effort and the result is a bonus.

What’s Next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

Cate will play in the CIF Finals for the fourth time in program history (runner-up 1996, 1998, 1999) and first in Division 3. The match will be held at The Claremont Club in Claremont, California at 11am on Friday, November 10th.

Cate Marches into CIF Semifinals With 12-6 Win

Cate girls’ tennis (15-0 overall) has defeated defending CIF D4 Champion Mark Keppel High School (15-7 overall) by a 12-6 final score. The matchup had been highly anticipated by Cate, with Keppel opening the season as the top-seeded team in Division 3 and led by two college tennis-bound singles players. In the end, the Rams were able to overcome the singles onslaught with depth throughout the lineup, including a clean sweep of the doubles sets.

How it happened:

With Mark Keppel’s strength in the lineup tilted to the top end, Cate reshuffled the deck, pairing #2 singles player Lisa Hasebe with Frances Davis and #3 singles player Reyna Takahashi with her recent league individuals tournament partner Colette Chang. The #3 doubles pairing from Friday’s match against Fullerton (Claire Bianchi and Pyper Davis) slotted into the open singles positions.

Hasebe and Davis cruised to a quick 6-0 win at the #2 spot, while the younger Davis sister took care of business with a 6-0 set-win at #3 singles. Two more wins in doubles followed, with Chang/Takahashi taking the match-up of #1 teams 6-2, and Sophie Alijani and Elsie Chamberlain rallying from 1-2 down to win 5 consecutive games.

Though Cate was unable to get wins at #1 singles from Bianchi against Dana Kunza or #2 singles from Alyna Takahashi against Noor Abani, the team accomplished it’s objective of taking a 4-2 lead in the first round with the strategic lineup.

In the second round, Bianchi grabbed a quick 6-1 set from the Keppel #3, while doubles again swept in convincing fashion. Takahashi rattled the UTR 7 senior from Keppel, firing stinging blows to the corners off both the forehand and backhand side and serving with considerable might. The match remained locked in a back-and-forth battle to the midpoint, engaging the crowd that gathered to watch the two top players, but eventually the higher-ranked player prevailed, 6-3. Still, the Cate senior captain showed that she is amongst the best singles players in Division 3.

After two rounds, it was clear that the Cate lineup strategy was working, with Cate looking likely to sweep all three doubles positions and pick up easy victories at #3 singles. Chang and Takahashi took the overall score to 9-4 with a speedy 6-1 win the final round, followed within two minutes by the match-clinching win from Hasebe and Davis, 6-0 against the Keppel #2 team. Keppel’s top duo continued to dominate, making the score 10-6, though partially off-set by Alyna Takahashi’s 6-0 third-round win to make 11-6.

The final match on-court was Mark Keppel’s top doubles team facing Cate’s #3’s. Alijani and Chamberlain got off to a flying start, winning 5 of the first 6 games on aggressive net-play, but the match momentum swung back in the other direction as Keppel settled in and took advantage of a few Cate errors. At 5-4, Alijani/Chamberlain regained their focus and closed the door, completing the 9-0 doubles sweep on the day for Cate tennis.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

I’m so proud of my girls for their performance today. They played their hearts out, stuck to our game-plan, and had complete faith in each other and in what we were trying to do to win the match.

We have had this Keppel team in our sights the entire season, since they were the defending CIF Champions and had such a strong 1-2 combo in the singles lineup. We have a lot of strength at the top of our lineup, too, but our normal singles lineup wasn’t going to get it done in this particular situation.

I got together with our assistant coach, Mark Polowczak, and our captains Alyna and Sophie, and we worked out the best lineup to handle this particular matchup. Conveniently, Reyna and Colette just spent a week playing doubles together for TVL Individuals, where they earned first-team all-league honors. Lisa and Frances had also played together in one match earlier in the season, so we knew that was a combo we could go back to if needed.

We also know that both Claire and Pyper are probably even better singles players than they are in doubles, with a combined record of 21-4 in singles play during the regular season. Moving them into the singles lineup wasn’t anything new and they were both excited to take on that responsibility.

The bottom line is, Cate girls’ tennis is 100% committed to the team result, however we can best achieve it. We know that every single playoff school in our CIF Division is bigger than ours, but it’s unlikely we’ll face a team that’s more close-knit or dedicated to each other. This is how mountains get moved!

What’s next for Cate Girls’ Tennis?

Cate travels to Cerritos High School on Wednesday for a CIF Semifinal match scheduled to begin at 2pm. Cerritos (17-3 overall) entered the playoffs as the #3-seeded team, with Cate (15-0 overall) slightly favored as the #2 seed. The winner will play for the CIF D3 Championship against either Oaks Christian or Culver City on Friday, November 10th at The Claremont Club.

Cate Advances to CIF Quarterfinals with Pair of Wins

Cate girls’ tennis has reached the CIF D3 Quarterfinal round today with a 10-8 victory at Fullerton High School. The win comes after a convincing 15-3 first-round victory against visiting Hoover High School on Wednesday. Cate moves to 14-0 this season and will now face last year’s CIF D4 Champions, Mark Keppel, in what is sure to be a more tightly-contested match.

Cate v. Hoover: 15-3 Win

Cate dominated the match from start-to-finish, taking the opening round 5-1 and never looking back. Sisters Alyna and Reyna Takahashi swept their 6 sets, while recently-crowned TVL singles champion Lisa Hasebe went 2-0 before being substituted.

In doubles play, Frances Davis and Colette Chang paired for 3 wins, while Sophie Alijani/Pyper Davis and Claire Bianchi/Elsie Chamberlain added 2 sets each.

Cate @ Fullerton: 10-8 Win

The #2-seeded Cate girls team faced stiffer competition from Fullerton High today. After traveling more than 3 hours, Cate came out flat in doubles early. However, Sophie Alijani and Elsie Chamberlain battled back from 0-4 down for a 6-4 win that would prove important down the road. Cate faired better in singles, with senior Alyna Takahashi defeating the #1 Abigail Kelly (6-2), while Lisa Hasebe and Reyna Takahashi also won their sets.

Cate maintained a small lead through the second round, with the teams locked in a 7-5 battle at the turn. Alyna and Reyna Takahashi closed the door on Fullerton with 6-0 and 6-2 wins, giving Cate a 9-5 advantage and an insurmountable lead in games (in the event of a tie in sets).

Fullerton battled on for another half-hour, taking the final singles set and two more close doubles sets, before senior Frances Davis and junior Colette Chang stemmed the losing streak. Davis and Chang returned to the form that saw them sweep on Wednesday, winning the final 5 games to earn Cate a 10th win to close out the match.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

Even as the #2-seeded team, we’ve been really focused on taking things one match at a time. It’s a good thing, too, because Fullerton was a really strong team with a lot of depth. We’re pleased to come through this round and looking forward to playing last year’s D4 CIF Champions on Monday at Cate.

I am particularly impressed by the way Alyna has been holding it down for us at #1 singles. She’s playing on another level right now and it’s great when a senior captain can lead by example.

I’m also really pleased by the way every single player on the team battled today, even when they were behind in sets. We’re definitely going to need to bring that intensity throughout next week to earn ourselves a shot at the CIF Championship. It’s all or nothing and we’re all in it together!

What’s next for Cate Tennis?

Cate returns to action on Monday against visiting Mark Keppel High School. Play will begin at or before 2pm.