Photogragh by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Prospect's Alex Harkins flies to the ground as she battles Willow Glen's Nikki Leader for the ball in local field hockey play.
Wise leads Falcons to wins
Martin, Vugdalic also nail victories
By Dick Sparrer
Amanda Wise, Julie Martin and Anna Vugdalic each came up winners last week, and in the process started their teams on the road to victories in girls high school tennis action.
Wise of Saratoga, Martin of Prospect and Vugdalic of Westmont each won at No. 1 singles to get their respective teams going in league tennis matches.
Wise won 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 at No. 1 to start Saratoga on the road to a 6-1 win over Palo Alto in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.
The victory helped the Falcons improve to 9-1 in the division and to 17-1 for the year.
Martin won easily 6-0, 6-2 at No. 1 singles to get the Panthers going in a 5-2 win over Willow Glen.
Marina Shlyapina supported with a 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 3 singles and Elaine Tang won 6-1, 6-0 at No. 4.
Natalia Kriyama and Katherine Gazlay teamed for a win at No. 1 doubles and Judy Tang and Harroop Singh combined for a 7-5, 6-1 win at No. 2 doubles.
The team victory pushed the Panthers to 12-0 in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League. Prospect boasts a 13-2 season record.
The Panthers had blanked Overfelt 6-0 and Oak Grove 7-0 a week earlier. Notching two wins each were Martin, Michelle Stern, Shlyapina and E. Tang, and the Kriyama-Gazlay and J. Tang-Singh doubles teams.
Vugdalic starred for Westmont in a tight 4-3 win over Yerba Buena last week. The returning all-leaguer won 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1 singles for the Warriors.
Katherine Bamford chipped in with a 7-5, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles and Megan Clapp and Natalie Phipps joined forces for a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 1 doubles.
The win punched the Warriors to 10-2 in division play.
A week earlier, singles wins by Vugdalic, Diana Nguyen and Leslie Arnaut and a Clapp-Phipps doubles win sparked Westmont to a 4-3 win over Leigh, but the Warriors lost 4-3 to Willow Glen.
The teams of the BVAL will be on the courts Oct. 26-27 for the league team finals. The singles and doubles tournaments will be held Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
In other local tennis play, Stacey Huang won twice at No. 1 singles to lead Lynbrook to wins over Wilcox (4-3) and Mountain View (6-1) in the El Camino Division of the BVAL.
The Vikings are now 11-0 in league competition and 13-2 for the year.
Hockey win for Falcons
Alice Sheng knocked in a second-half goal to lead the Saratoga girls field hockey team to a thrilling 1-0 win over Leigh last week.
The Falcons improved to 3-0-1 in the Santa Teresa Division of the BVAL with the win. They are 8-2-1 for the year.
In other local action, Westmont lost 7-1 to Del Mar with Nicki Baughman scoring the only goal for the Warriors, who slipped to 2-3 with the loss.
Westmont had blasted San Jose and Homestead a week earlier.
Karly Brownridge drilled three goals and Baughman had two assists in a 5-1 win over San Jose. Kristen Rowland and Shirley Luong each scored goals for the Warriors and Tiffany Phan added an assist.
Brownridge came back with two goals and Jenny Brown and Rowland each scored in a 4-1 win over Homestead. Luong and Rowland had two assists each for the winners and Baughman and Jessica Parola added one apiece.
Prospect slipped to 0-6 in the Mt. Hamilton Division and to 5-6 for the year with losses to Los Gatos, Willow Glen and Mitty.
Tiffany Mine knocked in a first-half goal against Gatos, but the Wildcats fought back for three goals in the second half to claim a 3-1 win over Prospect.
The Panthers were blanked 1-0 by the Rams, then lost 3-0 to first-place Mitty.
Panthers, Warriors win
The Prospect and Westmont girls volleyball teams each rolled to BVAL victories last week.
The Panthers turned back Leland 15-13, 13-15, 15-13, 15-10 in the Mt. Hamilton Division.
Cassie Gilford blasted 13 kills to lead the Panthers to the win over the Chargers. Prospect took the early lead in the match with a win in the first game, but Leland tied it at a game apiece. The Panthers battled back behind Gilford, though, and swept the final two games to win the match.
Prospect improved to 4-5 in the division and to 10-11 for the year with the win.
Westmont, meanwhile, swept Willow Glen 15-2, 15-6, 15-13 in three straight games in Santa Teresa Division play.
Stacey Carrothers drilled eight kills to lead the Warriors to the win. Westmont, now 6-3 in division play, will host Silver Creek on Oct. 24, 6:30 p.m., before entertaining Piedmont Hills on Oct. 26, 5 p.m.
In other local action, Lynbrook lost in De Anza Division play in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.
The Vikings dropped a tough 9-15, 15-8, 15-7, 15-8 decision to unbeaten St. Francis. Lynbrook is now 2-6 in the division and 14-15 for the year.
Willis leads Westmont
Kevin Willis finished second overall to lead the Westmont cross country team to wins over Independence and Prospect in Santa Teresa competition last week.
Willis covered the 2.59-mile course at Montgomery Park in 16:37 to lead the Warriors to wins over the 76ers (16-40) and Panthers (25-30).
Anthony Salazar was ninth in 17:49 to support Willis' effort for the Panthers.
Joshua Miner finished fifth in 17:11 for Prospect. The Panthers managed a 17-40 win over Independence the same day.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
