Saratoga News

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Saratoga's Amanda Wise (front) and Carolyn Wise (back) share congratulations after winning a point against Leland. But the Falcon pair lost in the CCS doubles tournament.

Great year for Falcon netters

Girls win league tennis title, reach CCS semis

By Dick Sparrer

As seasons go, it wasn't a good one for the Saratoga girls' tennis team... it was a great one!

The Falcons backed up a league co-championship with two wins in the Central Coast Section team tournament before losing a tough 4-3 heartbreaker to Leland in the semifinals.

Saratoga whipped St. Ignatius and Robert Louis Stevenson by matching 5-2 scores to open CCS play before losing to the Chargers.

The Falcons wrapped up the year with an impressive 19-5 season record, including a 13-1 showing in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. Saratoga shared the league championship with Los Altos. The two teams split their matches in the regular season.

Not only did the Falcons win a varsity crown, but Saratoga also posted a 13-1 mark to claim the De Anza Division championship on the junior varsity level.

The Falcons opened CCS play with the 5-2 win over St. Ignatius, winning three of four singles matches and two of three matches in doubles play.

Camille Behnke rolled to a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles to start the Falcons on the road to victory. Carolyn Hooper pulled out a 7-6, 6-4 win at No. 3 singles, and Amanda Wise won 6-2, 6-4 at No. 4 singles.

Nancy Walker and Julie Neogy teamed for a thrilling 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 victory at No. 2 doubles, and Eileen Allen and Kate Pisani won 6-3, 6-1 at No. 3 doubles.

It was more of the same a day later against Stevenson. Behnke posted a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles, and Hooper won 7-5, 6-2 at No. 3. Wise came through with a hard-earned 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 win at No. 4 singles.

Kelly Pisani and Lindsay Lightbody joined forces for a 6-1, 7-5 win at No. 1 doubles, and Allen and Ka. Pisani won 6-0, 6-3 at No. 3.

Saratoga split four singles matches against Leland but lost two of three doubles bouts to lose 4-3.

Hooper posted a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 3 singles and Wise won 6-3, 6-2 at No. 4.

Walker and Neogy nailed a tight 7-6, 6-3 win at No. 2 doubles, but Allen and Ka. Pisani lost a three-set heartbreaker at No. 3. The Saratoga pair fell 6-1, 2-6, 7-5.

Hooper and Wise went on to represent the Falcons in the CCS doubles tournament,but lost in the first round to Michele Alesch and Emily Short of Leland. The Saratoga pair had finished second to Lesley Mueller and Emily Najour of St. Francis in the De Anza Division tournament.

Panthers fall

Singles star Sandy Tsai and the doubles team of Sarah Shaffer and Vinh Lay represented Prospect in the Blossom Valley Athletic League tournament, but lost in quarter-final play.

Tsai, the singles champion in the Santa Teresa Division of the BVAL, lost a three-set heartbreaker in the league quarter-finals, falling 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 to a Yerba Buena netter.

Shaffer and Lay lost to a Leland pair in the quarters 6-4, 6-0. The Prospect twosome also won a title in the Santa Teresa Division tournament.

Prospect, like Saratoga, had quite a season. The Panthers ended up second to Oak Grove in the Santa Teresa Division. Their only two league losses were to the Eagles.

Tsai, Mariam Malek, Michelle Yi and Kelly Shaffer starred in singles play for Prospect, and the doubles teams of S. Shaffer and Lay, Su Vyan Liu and King Kuo and Monique Pham and In-Hae Kim all played well for head coach Mike Dudock.

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