Re-Cap of 5-18-08 1^st Round Matches -L.A. C.I.F. City Section - Individual Championships

Congratulations to the Boys Tennis Team for playing some awesome tennis during the first round of the individual playoffs,  After sending 3 doubles squads to the individual tournament, the Pilots played some great tennis & advanced  2 players to the second round.

Victor Duran & Joseph Mejia became only the team's 6th pair overall, to advance past the 1^st day of competition in the last 10-15 years.  The win, now puts both players' post-season records at 3-1, and counting.  These two Pilots will face off against University, the winner over a tough Cleveland squad.  However, after upsetting Birmingham's #1 doubles during the team playoffs, these two players will go into Wednesday's match full of confidence.

In the two other scheduled doubles matches of the day, interestingly enough, the Pilots faced off against two Chatsworth squads coached by former Pilot Mark Bautista.  In the first match, pitting each team's #1 entry against each other, Ricardo Zaragoza & Ignacio Torres fought valiantly in a tale of two attempted comebacks.  In the 1^st set, Zaragoza & Torres, fought off a 1-4 deficit, before going down 6-4.  Things looked bleak in the 2^nd set, after the Pilots faced a 1-5 deficit, but they continued to battle, eventually evening up the match at 5-all in the 2^nd set, before finally falling in a very close 6-4, 7-5 loss.

In the 2^nd match, there would be more dramatics as well.  Hernan Suarez & Justin Garcia trailed 2-5 in the opening set, before closing in to 4-5.  After their opponents held on to take that 1^st set, Suarez & Garcia, no doubt inspired by their mini-comeback in the 1^st set, reeled off 3 games in a row to open the 2^nd set before taking it at 6-3, forcing a 3^rd and deciding set.  The 3^rd set looked promising, as well, as the Pilots took the first two games there, before the tables turned.  After the Pilots had just finished taking 8 of the previous 11 games, the Chancellors won 6 of the last 7 to end the match in a very back-and-forth, immensely competitive match.

Great job Pilots & good luck to Victor Duran & Joseph Mejia as they fight on, in the 2nd round on Wednesday!