Two days after beating Hughson High, the Orestimba High tennis team continued its momentum with a 9-0 win against Sonora High on Thursday.
The Warriors improved to 6-3 overall and now sits firmly in third place in the Trans-Valley League, holding a two-game lead above the Huskies. If the season ended after Thursday’s match, the team would qualify for the postseason with it applying to the top three teams in the league standings.
As the team hopes to make a possible postseason run in his second season at the helm, Warriors head coach Nolan Osborn said the most noticeable difference between last season’s and this season’s team is the player’s confidence. He added that some of the experienced players learned on what’s needed to compete against the top teams in the TVL.
“Last year was more like, ‘Oh no, this is a big match, I don’t know how I’m gonna do,’” Osborn said. “I would say that’s the biggest difference, just being confident, being clutch, kind of just looking forward to these moments.”
Mirella Fregoso and Ashlynn Bell continued their dominance in the girls singles for Orestimba. After winning the first set, Fregoso narrowly won the following set against Sonora’s Kylie Serva to clinch the match, 7-5. Bell, on the other hand, beat Leyla Wang through two sets, 6-3, 6-4.
Both players remain undefeated in their matches at 9-0.
It was more or less the same in the boys singles for Orestimba. Colton Reeves handled his matchup against Jonathan Korte with a two-set win, 6-2, 6-2. Following him was teammate Warren Varner, who won his match against Ethan Smith, 6-2, 6-1.
Orestimba’s Aaron Gallardo and Kevin Rodriguez continued their momentum in the boys doubles with a two-set win against Joel Taylor and Kyle Milnik, 6-1, 6-2. Jose Rodriguez and Nabeel Ali won their doubles match, 6-2, 6-0.
Mallory Solano and Sofiah Ramirez won their girls doubles match against Fernanda Laurenzano and Sofia De Grazio, 6-2, 6-3. While all the other matches ended in two-sets, the second girls doubles went through three sets. After losing the first set, the Wildcats bounced back with a 7-6 in the second to force a decisive third set. The Warriors’ Abigail Layne and Samantha Aguilar won the deciding set, 10-6.
Since Sonora didn’t have a mixed double duo, Orestimba was granted an automatic win.
With spring break starting, the team will have a week off to rejuvenate ahead of its next match against Ripon Christian High School (7-0) on April 14.
