Re-Cap of 3/16/11 Boys Tennis Match – Banning vs. Gardena

Congratulations to the boys tennis team for another great effort in Wednesday’s match at Gardena.  Although the Pilots were on the brink of victory, it was not to be, as the Panthers eeked out the win.

In doubles, Ryo Miralles & Daniel Gomez, both dealing with ankle injuries, battled their way to a straight-sets victory, while Robert Guerrero & Hector Briseño did the same after a very close 1^st set tie-break.  Alex Chun & Angel Amador also played a great match, after barely missing out on a straight-sets victory themselves.  In an extremely close 1^st set that went to a tie-break, the Pilots led 6-1 yet stumbled & allowed their opponents to take it.   Rather than be demoralized by the falter, however, Chun & Amador battled back to take the 2^nd set & force a 3^rd.  In the 3^rd set, things continued to remain close, yet the Panthers pulled it out.

In singles, Juan Gomez, Eric Mendez & Miguel Pila all struggled vs. some extremely tough competition, yet played well.  The match of the day, however, belonged to rookie Manuel Leon.  Despite the fact that the team victory was no longer in reach by the time his match was going, Leon proved his mettle in an incredibly inspirational performance in the very last match on court.  In his 1^st year playing the sport, Leon quickly found himself down a set against a more experienced opponent, yet somehow managed to fight his way back into the match in the 2^nd set, forcing a dramatic tie-break.  In the tie-break, Leon started out fast, jumping out to a 4-1 lead.  His opponent, however, did not give in, desperately hoping to take the match in straight sets closed the gap to 4-5 & was in striking distance.  Leon took the tie break by winning two of the last 3 points with some amazing athleticism & mental toughness, forcing a deciding 3^rd set.  In the 3^rd, with his opponent’s morale & will to fight apparently disapating, Leon seemingly cruised to the finish line with the calm demeanor of a seasoned veteran, getting mobbed by a host of teammates who rushed the courts to congratulate him.

In JV/Exhibition play, Abraham Moreno & Isai Chun, as well as Juan Mijares & Oscar Renteria both played close matches with one of their sets decided in a tie-break.  Jonathan Arredondo & JoeAnthony Rodriguez battled through a tough 3-set loss, while Ruben Rico played and won two singles matches.

Congratulations Pilots & Good Luck next week vs. Narbonne!

BOYS VARSITY TENNIS MATCH

L.A. C.I.F. CITY SECTION, MARINE LEAGUE MATCH

DATE	HOME TEAM	VISITING TEAM	LOCATION
3/16/11	GARDENA	BANNING	GARDENA

FINAL SCORE

WINNER	SCORE
GARDENA	4-3

 

RECORDS	Overall	League
BANNING	2-3	0-2
GARDENA	2-1	1-0

 

	HOME TEAM		VISITING TEAM
	GARDENA		BANNING		SCORE		WON	BY (X)
	Singles			1st Set	2nd Set	3rd Set	Home	Visitor
1.	Maurice Grijalva	vs.	Miguel Pila	6-0	6-1		X
2.	Colby White	vs.	Eric Mendez	6-0	6-0		X
3.	Chris Gordon	vs.	Juan Gomez	6-0	6-0		X
4.	Henry Hernandez	vs.	Manuel Leon	3-6	7-6 (5)	6-2		X
	GARDENA		BANNING		SCORE		WON	BY (X)
	Doubles			1st Set	2nd Set	3rd Set	Home	Visitor
1.	Gabriel Jose	vs.	Ryo Miralles	7-5	6-3			X
	Alex Lopez		Daniel Gomez
2.	Jesus Velasquez	vs.	Alex Chun	7-6 (6)	5-7	6-4	X
	Eric Tolentino		Angel Amador
3.	Adolfo Actual	vs.	Robert Guerrero	7-6 (5)	6-3			X
	Chris Escalera		Hector Briseño
	JV/Exhibition						WON	BY (X)
	GARDENA		BANNING	SCORE			Home	Visitor
1.	Min Jung	vs.	Abraham Moreno	6-4	7-6 (2)		X
	Paolo Valderama		Isai Chun
2.	Omar Morales	vs.	Jonathan Arredondo	6-4	4-6	6-4	X
	Francisco Villatoro		JoeAnthony Rodriguez
3.	Edwin Rivas	vs.	Juan Mijares	8-7 (0)	8-5		X
	Gustavo Ponce		Oscar Renteria
4.	David Le	vs.	Ruben Rico	8-3				X
5.	Miguel Piña	vs.	Ruben Rico	8-7				X