Tag: Providence

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 Girls Tennis Rams Through Two More Tri-Valley League Opponents

Cate moves to 7-0 on the season with wins over visiting Villanova Prep and Providence. Having now played everyone in league once, Cate is nearly assured the top spot in the league and continues to be ranked 5th in CIF Division 3 polling.

Cate v. Villanova: 17-1 Win

Cate won handily despite playing without senior captain Alyna Takahashi, who is unbeaten in league so far this season. Lisa Hasebe, also unbeaten, moved into the #1 spot in the lineup and duly produced a 6-0 win against the Villanova senior Monica Munoz before subbing out. Fellow freshman Reyna Takahashi finished the day 3-0 without dropping a single game, while sophomore Pyper Davis had a similar 3-0 sweep in her singles season debut.

In doubles, freshman Sophie Blank partnered with junior JV player Addie Bracher to record a 6-3, 6-1, 6-0 result. The pair were incredibly consistent and worked well together in their first outing together. Frances Davis paired with Sophie Alijani for a 6-0 win at #1 before Alijani was replaced by freshman Claire Tang, making her season debut and going 2-0. Senior Caroline Batchelder partnered with sophomore Claire Bianchi for a 7-5 set-win in the first round, before pairing with sophomore Elsie Chamberlain for 6-2 and 6-0 wins.

Cate v. Providence: 15-3 Win

Caroline Batchelder and Elsie Chamberlain picked up where they left off in the previous match, partnering for 7-5, 6-0, 6-0 set-wins and moving to 8-3 on the season. The pair over-turned a 2-6 loss to Providence #1’s Aza Elwood and Amber Regan from a few weeks prior, showing their progression. Senior Frances Davis continued to thrive with multiple partners, playing with Reyna Takahashi, Sophie Blank, and Ani Van Lynde for three set-wins, dropping just 1 game. Sophie Alijani and Pyper Davis partnered for the second time this season, going 2-0 before Claire Tang replaced Davis in the third set for another win.

In singles play, Lisa Hasebe turned in another 6-0 win at the #1 position before subbing out. Hasebe is now 13-1 on the season (8-0 in league play). Claire Bianchi returned to the singles lineup, where she split sets in a similar fashion to freshman Gwendi Rogers, who played the #3 position. JV call-up Betsy Peters battled gamely to a 5-7 in her first varsity match, while facing the Providence #2 player.

Coach Thorpe’s Comments:

I’m proud of the way the girls executed our gameplan for this week, which was to take every opportunity to improve, regardless of who they were playing. We had some less experienced opponents this week, but I feel that we managed to improve on movement at the net, composure in baseline rallies, and also in serve accuracy. We’ve got our top two rivals for the league title to play next Tuesday and Thursday, so the work we put in this week should be put to good use in the coming week!

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 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 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.

Match Week 2: Cate Girls Go 2-0, Laguna Boys split while playing short-handed

It was a busy week for Coach Thorpe, with four matches in five days that also included a match between Cate and Laguna Blanca, but there will be little respite as the same is scheduled for the following week. On to the recaps!

Monday, April 19: Cate d. Providence 14-4

Cate Girls’ Tennis played Providence High School for the first time and came out with a convincing victory. Read more about it here.

Wednesday, April 21: Foothill Tech d. Laguna Blanca 12-6

The Owls took their first defeat of the season while playing short-handed. Freshman #1 Keanu Nakamura lost a tight 4-6 set in the first round before subbing out and Laguna struggled for wins in singles. Senior Andreas Jackson picked up the lone win with a 6-2 victory against the Dragons #3 player.

In doubles, the Owls faired much better, taking 5-of-9 sets despite going winless against Foothill’s #1 team.

Senior combo Ryan Purkait and Nic Richmond took 6-1, 6-0 victories and junior/sophomore combo Ben Rodgers and Aden Meisel added two wins. In the first round, Rodgers and Meisel battled to an 11-9 tie-break win against the Foothill #2 before cruising to a 6-0 win in the third round. George Nicks and Cody Busch-Weiss added a 6-4 set against the #3’s to the Laguna win-column.

Thursday, April 22: Cate d. Laguna Blanca 12-6

Despite winning just one game in three sets against Laguna’s freshman #1 Mina Yazadzhiev, Cate managed to put another match in the win column.

Buoyed by sweeps at #1 and #2 doubles, Cate finished the match with seven wins in doubles and five in singles for a 12-6 final score.

Senior Fritze Mayer and junior Emily May won their sets 6-1, 6-1, 6-0 to move to 7-0 on the season, while senior/junior combo Yuki Kobayashi and Ashi Kamra won 6-4, 6-0, 6-1. Kamra is now a perfect 9-0 on the season. Julianna Forry and Sophie Alijani added a 7-5 win in the first round.

Juniors Aminah Hill and Ellie Tunnell each finished the day 2-1, while sophomore Ella Chang rallied from losses in the first two rounds to defeat the Laguna #2 6-3 in the final round of play.

Cate moves to 3-0 with the win and will play next on Monday, April 26th against an undefeated Foothill Tech team that threatens to end a 44-match win-streak in Tri-Valley League play that stretches all the way back to 2014.

Friday, April 23: Laguna Blanca d. St. Bonaventure 14-4

The Owls tasted victory for the second time this season (2-1 overall) with a convincing victory over short-handed St. Bonny, who had to forfeit all three rounds at #2 and #3 doubles. The match was anything but boring though, as Bonny fielded a solid singles lineup and a determined #1 doubles team.

The stand-out performance of the day came from sophomore Aden Meisel, playing at the #3 singles position for the first time. After watching his teammates fall to the #1 singles player from St. Bonaventure 4-6 and 0-6, Meisel turned it around for the Owls with a 6-4 victory in the last match of the day. The Laguna sophomore finished the day undefeated with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-0 line.

Laguna took two-of-three in doubles, with Ryan Purkait and Nic Richmond collecting a 6-1 win and frosh combo Cody Busch-Weiss and Jake Gidney also defeating the Bonny #1’s with a 6-4 score.

In singles, senior Andreas Jackson took two-of-three and looked to be building back some of his old form after a long layoff from regular competitive play, while junior Ben Rodgers took a nice 6-4 victory over the St. Bonaventure #2.

Laguna Blanca plays next on Friday, April 30th in the second Laguna/Cate rivalry matchup, where Coach Thorpe will hope to turn the tide for the Owls, who lost to his Cate girls’ team earlier in the week. Confused yet? So am I! So am I. What a crazy year this has been over at Thorpe Tennis!

Cate Dominant in First-Ever Match Against Providence

Cate Girls’ Tennis moved to 2-0 on the season with a 14-4 win over Providence High School at the Municipal Courts of Santa Barbara today.

In the first meeting of the two Santa Barbara Area private schools, the match began fairly even in the opening games. However, Fritze Mayer and Emily May steam-rolled ahead with a 6-0 win at #1 doubles and then the flood-gates opened.

Junior Aminah Hill picked up a convincing 6-2 win at the #1 singles spot and fellow junior Ellie Tunnell added a 6-3 victory over her opponent at the #2 spot. Yuki Kobayashi moved to the doubles lineup to pair with Ashi Kamra and the pair recorded another 6-2 set to bring Cate to a 4-0 lead.

Providence fought back with wins at #3 singles and doubles, but would only collect two more wins the rest of the way.

Junior/Freshman combo Julianna Forry and Sophie Alijani recovered from a 4-6 first round to defeat the Providence #1 squad in the second round and also beat the #2’s in the final round of play.

After rolling through their second round opponents Mayer and May were replaced by sophomore/freshman combo Nikita Nautiyal and Caroline Batchelder who made the most of the opportunity with a 6-1 victory. Meanwhile, in singles, Hill and Tunnell swept their matches to go a combined 6-0 on the day.

Cate Girls’ Tennis plays next on Thursday at the Laguna Blanca School, with the match beginning at 3:30pm.