Dos Pueblos High got off to a fast start in its first-round match in the CIF-SS Division 2 Bracket against Foothill Tech, helping the Chargers earn an 11-7 victory to advance to the second round of the playoffs on Friday.
The Chargers got five wins in the first round of the match to help them set the pace throughout. With the win, DP will now face Los Osos High, and thanks to a coin flip win, the Chargers will be hosting that match at 2 p.m. on Friday.
“We really just got after it early and I was really proud of the girls and the way they competed. The San Marcos loss was really tough but I think the girls were in the right frame of mind and now we get to play another match,” DP head coach Laura Housinger said.
Things did not look so good early on, however, especially for the Chargers’ Alessa Somer. The junior No. 1 singles player looked off at the start in her match against Noelle Hayward.
She overshot on a lot of balls that she usually returned with ease and, as a result, she fell behind 2-0 early.
After the slow start, however, Somer really picked it up.
The junior started battling each point and her tough forehand proved to be too much for her opponent. She would not lose a single game the rest of the day finishing 3-0 with victories of 6-2, 6-0, 6-0.
“Alessa is just a great player. She really stepped up last year as a sophomore in our top singles spot. I asked her before the season what she wanted to be and I remember her just saying ‘I want to be No. 1 singles again and I want to beat the best’ and she just plays really strong. She has a good mental game as well and I think that helps her stay in matches and really find her strengths as she goes on,” Housinger said.
Two more singles win, both 6-0, in the first round and a pair of doubles victories helped DP take an early 5-1 lead.
After being up 5-1, DP’s consistent play fell off a bit. The Chargers only won two wins in round two to take a 7-5 lead into the final round. There, however, DP won four of the final six games to win with a bit of comfortability.
“I definitely got a little nervous in the later round, the focus was not there like it was early. I think we just got a bit too comfortable, but I was happy to see us pull it out the way we did,” Housinger said.
Somer was the only singles participant to sweep all her matches on the day. Foothill Tech’s top pair of Alyssa McClain and Julie Seemayer also went 3-0 on the day.
Helping her out was DP’s top pair comprised of Danya Belkin and Annie Field. The duo lost its first match 6-4 but bounced back to earn two big wins to finish 2-1.
In singles, Julia McEachen took two wins at the No. 3 spot while No. 3 doubles Romi Greenweld and Cami Chou also finished with a pair of victories.
email: jmercado@newspress.com
