No matter how they sliced it, this was going to be the most taxing three-day stretch of the season for University’s girls tennis team.
The second-ranked Trojans passed their first test of the week, edging No. 9 Beckman, 11-7, in a Pacific Coast League match Tuesday afternoon at Beckman High.
Ashlyn Wang and Kayla Agustin remained unbeaten in league play, sweeping their doubles sets against the Patriots, including a 7-6 tiebreaker in the opening round that put University ahead, 4-2, headed into the second.
“That was definitely a big set for us,” University coach John Kessler said. “(Beckman) played great and we didn’t play particularly well. Ashley (Teng) keeps playing great. She’s as steady as they come. She doesn’t panic, even when she’s down.”
Teng – who is Beckman’s top singles player – swept her three sets, 6-4, 6-2, 6-0, and improved her individual record to 44-2.
University collected the other six singles points on the afternoon, as Halla and Kamar Alajeely each grabbed two sets, as did sophomore Dana Feng.
The Trojans (8-2, 5-1) will host Peninsula on Wednesday afternoon, a nonleague match with major postseason seeding implications. In the latest CIF-SS Division 1 poll, the Panthers were ranked No. 4 while University came in at No. 5.
On Thursday, the Trojans travel to take on fourth-ranked Northwood, which is looking to tie University for second place in the league standings.
Also in the Pacific Coast League:
No. 1 Corona del Mar 18, Woodbridge 0: The top-ranked Sea Kings improved to 14-0 on the season and 6-0 in league with a lopsided result over the Warriors. Roxy MacKenzie, Shaya Northrup and Jasie Dunk each went 3-0 in singles action.
No. 4 Northwood 13, Irvine 5: Junior Shweta Kumar swept her singles sets, the Frances Kroll–Deepika Reddy pair matched that effort on the doubles side and the Timberwolves cruised past the Vaqueros.
In the Trinity League:
No. 7 Santa Margarita 11, Orange Lutheran 7: Senior Katie Chang and the Eagles single lineup collected seven crucial points to extend their winning streak to eight consecutive matches with a win over the Lancers. Elizabeth Bondy and Amelia Kitts each went 2-1 for Santa Margarita, which is 5-0 in Trinity League play and will host JSerra on Thursday.
In the North Hills League:
Canyon 13, El Modena 5: The Comanches remained unbeaten in league play with a decisive win over the visiting Vanguards. Sophomore Kaitlin Chon maintained a perfect record against league competition, sweeping El Modena in singles.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@scng.com
