Warrior netters victims of Longhorns' CIF championship

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

Although Rancho Buena Vista was seeded fourth in the CIF Division III team tennis playoffs, the Longhorns won the CIF championship. Their four playoff victories began Oct. 25 with a 12-6 win over Fallbrook.

“They went on to win CIF, so you can’t feel bad about that,” said Fallbrook coach Bill Lenaway. “We did the best we could.”

The loss gave Fallbrook a final overall record of 11-6 in dual meets. The Warriors were 6-4 in Valley League competition for third place in the league standings.

Fallbrook was seeded 13th in the Division III playoffs, giving the Warriors a first-round match at Rancho Buena Vista. “That match was just a matter of a depth match,” Lenaway said. “We just didn’t have enough strength at number three singles and number three doubles to get us through that.”

A high school tennis match consists of each of a school’s three singles players contesting sets against each of the other school’s singles players and each of a school’s three doubles teams facing each of the other school’s doubles tandems. One team point is given for each set won.

RBV junior Mia Petrovic won all three of her singles sets against Fallbrook including a 6-4 triumph over junior Angie Palmerin. Palmerin won her other two sets by 6-0 margins while senior Frida Isabella Hernandez won 6-0 and 6-2 sets.

Both of Fallbrook’s doubles points were from seniors Sam Hanlon and Erin Rowan, who won 6-4 and 6-3 contests. Their loss was a 6-4 set. One of the losses for senior Tracy Lopez and sophomore Grace Ahrend was by a 7-5 score, and Lopez and Ahrend also lost a 6-3 set. Fallbrook sophomores Lily Middleton and Olivia Searle lost 6-4 and 6-3 sets.

“There were some close sets that we could have pulled out,” Lenaway said. “There were some close sets that we won, too.”