The Mustangs (4-0) made it look easy against Piedmont Hills, winning six matches and receiving one default. Kareen Berdai prevailed 6-2, 6-4 at No. 1 singles. No. 2 singles Bret Levine knocked out a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 2 and Marcus Nakamoto won in the closest match of the day, overcoming his opponent 7-6, 5-7, 6-1 at No. 3.

Pioneer coach Julie Szarlacki says that Nakamoto is "playing exceptionally well and has been working hard battling in every match and improving a bunch."

Piedmont Hills had to forfeit the No. 4 singles slot. The team of Noah LaMoyne and Art Soshnikov won 6-3, 7-5 in their No. 1 doubles match. Justin Kulish and Andy Wilder claimed a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 2 and the No. 3 doubles team of Adam Gregerson and Gleb Yavorkovsky came out on top 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

When Pioneer faced Yerba Buena later in the week, Szarlacki had to make adjustments in her line-up of players. LeVine moved up to No. 1 singles and grabbed a 6-2, 6-1 win. Nakamoto claimed a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles. Ben Cooper lost his No. 3 singles match 7-6, 6-3. LaMoyne moved from the doubles position to compete in the No. 4 singles slot and came away with a 6-4, 6-2 win. It was LaMoyne's first singles match in competition.

No. 1 doubles Gregersen and Soshnikov took a 7-5, 6-4 win, and Kulish and Yavorkovsky were good for a 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 2. Wilder and Dino DeVera started strong at No. 3 but lost 5-7, 6-0, 6-1.

Pioneer travels to Prospect on March 25, 3:15 p.m.

Leland began BVAL Mt. Hamilton Division play last week and picked up right where they left off last year as 2003 champions. The Chargers swept their matches 7-0 against both Mt. Pleasant and Leigh.

Aaron Klapper at No. 1, Simon Cheng at No. 2, Steven Richards at No. 3 and Adam Mjolsness at No. 4 all won in singles play.

The doubles teams of Craig Banks and Gary Ma at No. 1, Eric Banks and Walter Adams at No. 2 and Akshay Rao and Sunny Yang at No. 3 all won their matches.

The Chargers also played two non-league matches against powerhouses Los Gatos and Los Altos. Coach Jory Segal wants the team to experience the tough competition of other quality programs to prepare them for the tougher competition that they will face in the Central Coat Section playoffs.

Los Altos swept the Chargers 7-0 and Los Gatos edged them 4-3. The Chargers won the No. 1 through No. 3 singles matches against Los Gatos with Klapper, Cheng, and Richards all prevailing, but they lost the rest of the matches.

"We played well and we had a chance to win the match, but we had to win all of our singles [matches] and we didn't do that," Segal said. "Their doubles teams are much stronger because they have more depth on their team than we do."

"It's not always about winning but learning how to win," added Segal. "That's success in my eyes. Getting experience and learning are important too."

Branham has experienced some challenging times in its tennis program as the team has been depleted by injuries and grades. In addition to that, the Bruins are a very young team without much seasoned experience.

In spite of the adversities, the Bruins have battled to a 2-2 division mark in the Santa Teresa Division. They are riding the strength of their freshmen Kurt Chong at No. 1 singles and Greg Eckstedt at No. 2. Chong has lost only one match all season and Eckstedt is undefeated.