The San Diego Section girls tennis playoffs hit the court this weekend with the chance for local teams to represent themselves in this weekend’s upcoming championship games.
This year’s playoff field included four divisions: Division I (16 teams), Division II (16 teams), Division III (18 teams) and Open Division (eight teams).
Seven Metro Conference teams qualified for the section’s single-elimination postseason tournament.
Mesa League champion Bonita Vista received the No. 13 seed in the Division I playoff field but got to host fourth-seeded Francis Parker in Tuesday’s opening round because of its status as a league champion. However, the Barons were unable to field a complete team due to college testing and ended an otherwise stellar season with a 15-3 loss.
Bonita Vista had finished league play with an exemplary 12-1 record.
“The loss to Francis Parker was not really a surprise because we were missing so many key players but, as for winning league, it took a full team effort,” BVHS coach Joe Sheffield said.
Otay Ranch received the No. 7 seed in the Division I field and hosted 10th-seeded Cathedral Catholic on Tuesday. The lower-seeded Dons won 11-7 to advance to Wednesday’s quarterfinal match against second-seeded San Dieguito Academy.
Mater Dei Catholic received the No. 3 seed in the Division II field while Olympian received the No. 4 seed and Eastlake received the No. 9 seed in the division.
Mater Dei Catholic was the only one of the tree local teams to advance after recording an 11-7 win over 14th-seeded Fallbrook in Tuesday’s opening round. The Crusaders advanced to meet 11th-seeded San Diego Jewish Academy in Wednesday’s quarterfinals after the Lions upset sixth-seeded Canyon Hills, 10-8, on Tuesday.
The eighth-seeded San Diego Cavers eliminated Eastlake 10-8.
Olympian was upset, 12-6, by 13th-seeded Grossmont in Tuesday’s opening round.
“We were a much higher seed but they were definitely a stronger team,” first-year Olympian coach Keith Quigley said. “They play in a better division than us.
“My team had a very solid season. We played hard all season and gave it a run. It will be tough losing nine seniors, but the opportunity will be there for some of our JV players to step up next season into a varsity role. Hopefully some of the players will continue to practice in the offseason so that we can continue to improve for next year.
“We have one girl left in the CIF Individual playoffs on Monday at the Balboa Tennis Club.”
There were two play-in matches to the Division III 16-team first-round field.
Hilltop lost, 13-1, to Oceanside while Christian defeated Horizon Prep, 13-5, in another play-in match.
San Ysidro qualified as the No. 12 seed in the division but lost, 18-0, to fifth-seeded Ramona in opening-round play.
It’s a fast track to this weekend’s finals as first-round winners advanced to Wednesday’s quarterfinals in most divisions and quarterfinal winners advanced to Thursday’s semifinals.
The Division I and Division II championship games are scheduled Friday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. at the Barnes Tennis Center in Point Loma while the Division III title clash is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 30, at the same site and time.
The Open Division championship game was scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 28, at the Barnes Tennis Center.
Making the grade
Francis Parker advanced to Wednesday’s quarterfinals against fifth-seeded Our Lady of Peace.
Bonita Vista trailed 7-2 midway through Tuesday’s opening-round match and was unable to make up any significant ground over the balance of the contest.
The Barons’ top players this season included No. 1 singles Yuribia Leon, No. 2 singles Viviana Martinez, No. 3 singles Alexa Fakhimi, the No. 1 doubles team of Fakhimi and Jasmine Huerta and the No. 2 doubles team of Paola Nirmal and Catherine Wunderle.
Leon compiled a 23-9 record as a freshman entering Tuesday’s playoff match.
“Not bad,” Sheffield said. “She definitely has a lot of potential.”
Leon finished third in the recent league individual championship tournament.
“When we came in, she thought by hitting the ball hard that she could win the game,” Sheffield said. “She has since learned to develop other aspects of her game, now to slice the ball, be more patient. She just needs to work more on her consistency. She’s going to be something next year.”
Martinez was among those unavailable for Tuesday’s playoffs, so Fakhimi, a senior, assumed the temporary role of No. 2 singles in the lineup.
“She’s very versatile when I need her to play singles though she prefers to play doubles,” Sheffield said. “She’s a senior and involved in a lot of demanding things. She’s the captain of the team. She comes through for us when needed.”
MESA LEAGUE
GIRLS TENNIS STANDINGS
- Bonita Vista
- Mater Dei
- Otay Ranch
- Eastlake
- Olympian
- Montgomery
- Sweetwater
Otay Ranch individuals top Metro tourney finals
The Metro Conference held its individual girls tennis championship tournament on Oct. 19.
Some familiar names dominated the awards.
Otay Ranch’s Emely Valencia did not lose a single game during the tournament to win the singles championship while the Otay Ranch tandem of Samantha Bazan and Arianne Pepa were almost as dominant in not dropping any sets to capture the doubles championship.
The top five place-finishers qualified for the upcoming San Diego Section individual championship tournament Nov. 1-5 at the Balboa Tennis Club.
Valencia won by scores of 6-0 in the second round, 8-0 in the quarterfinals and 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinals. She defeated Mater Dei Catholic’s Isabella Arnaiz, 6-0, 6-0 in the finals.
Pepa-Bazan won 6-1, 6-1 in the doubles finals over Mater Dei Catholic’s Alida Martinez-Arantza Martinez.
CIF Singles Qualifiers
- Emely Valencia (Otay Ranch), 11 First Team All-League
- Isabella Arnaiz (Mater Dei Catholic), 10 First Team All-League
- Yuribia Leon (Bonita Vista), 9 First Team All-League
- Paulina Safa (Eastlake), 11 Second Team All-League
- Natalia Mendoza (Olympian), 12 Second Team All-League
CIF Doubles Qualifiers
- Arianne Pepa/Samantha Bazán (Otay Ranch) First Team All-League
- Alida Martínez/Arantza Martínez (Mater Dei Catholic) First Team All-League
- Daniella Rivera/Ana Gloria Cortes (Mater Dei Catholic) First Team All-League
- Kiley Balko/Kamila Palacios (Otay Ranch) Second team All-League
- Arantxa Mendiola/Sofía Castellanos (Mater Dei Catholic) Second Team All-League
