The Monta Vista girls tennis team has successfully defended both its Central Coast Section and Northern California championships, major goals that coach Gene Fortino's squad had been pointing toward since winning the NorCal title in 2003. Against five high-quality opponents last week, the Matadors finished the season with a 29-0 record and extended their two-year winning streak to 65.

After capturing the CCS crown by blanking a talented crew from Menlo School of Atherton 7-0 on Nov. 17 at the Courtside Tennis Club in Los Gatos, the Matadors took care of business at the NorCal tourney last weekend at Fremont's Tennis Center.

The Matadors beat Lowell of San Francisco 7-0 in Friday's quarterfinals of the 10-team NorCal event, then handled Monte Vista of Danville 6-1 in the semi-finals to reach a rematch with Menlo.

The result of the NorCal championship match was the same as in the CCS finale three days earlier--a 7-0 victory. A year ago Monta Vista scored 4-3 victories against Menlo in the finals of both events.

Carmen Seremeta, unable to compete in 2003 because of injury, capped the final week of her senior season with five wins at No. 1 singles, beginning with the Matadors' 6-1 triumph over Sacred Heart Prep in a CCS semifinal match.

Seremeta, who recently signed a National Letter of Intent to play next season for the University of Oregon, claimed a 6-0, 6-2 decision over Menlo's Sarah Hoffman during the NorCal title match. It was a stronger performance for Seremeta than in the CCS title match, when she needed three sets to stave off Menlo's ace, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.

Monta Vista's lineup was nearly unbeatable all week. Opponents had to work hard just to win a game.

UC-Santa Barbara-bound Allie Lipton dropped her first set at No. 2 singles in the CCS semifinals, but roared back to win that match 3-6, 6-0, 6-0, and dropped only nine games while winning her other four matches in straight sets.

Jennifer Lu and sophomore Vidya Dabir did not lose a set all week in the third and fourth singles spots.

Aside from a three-set loss in the NorCal semifinals, the top doubles team of Jennifer Chui and Courtney Chin could not be stopped. The other two doubles teams, sisters Tuskeen and Gungeet Bains at No. 2 and the No. 3 tandem of Tiffany Nguyen and Chau Nguyen went all five matches without losing a set.

For Lipton, Monta Vista's win marked her sixth team title. In addition to playing a large part of the Matadors' success during the last two seasons, Lipton played as a freshman for Menlo's 2002 squad that captured CCS and NorCal crowns.