Five county teams make CCS tennis tournament

Unlike most other sports in CCS, there is only one team tennis bracket, so big school or small school, all face off against the other.

The top team continues to be Menlo School, which won its 23rd straight league title and comes into the tournament with a 19-2 record. The Knights are the defending CCS team champs following a two-year drought. Overall, Menlo has captured 15 of the last 20 CCS titles.

The fact four PAL teams got in shows just how strong the PAL is and how it is gaining respect around the section. It’s the second time in four years the PAL has had four entrants. The league gets two automatic bids, which were filled by regular-season champ M-A and team-tournament champ Aragon. That means both Carlmont and San Mateo received at-large bids, which is no easy task.

“There are 12 automatic bids and 12 at-large bids,” said Aragon head coach Dave Owdom, who guided the Dons to their seventh straight CCS appearance. “Fourteen teams applied for the at-large bids.”

M-A, which captured its 11th straight PAL Bay Division title, earned the No. 6 seed with a 15-2 record and has a first-round bye. The Bears will play the winner of Alvarez-Carlmont. The Scots (8-5) will host the 14-3 Eagles.

Aragon (15-3) hosts Westmont (11-6), which finished third in its league. San Mateo (11-5) got the toughest first-round match, hosting 13-6 Palo Alto.

Owdom said San Mateo was the last team in, with the Bearcats’ head-to-head win over Crystal Springs being the deciding factor.

“San Mateo had a good win over Carlmont (this season). I think they have a solid team. It’s not like they don’t belong,” Owdom said. “But they’ll have their hands full with Paly.”

While San Mateo is an underdog to the Vikings, both Aragon and Carlmont should be favored over their opponents. And at least there won’t be a long drive if Dons and Scots do lose as all three teams host first-round matches.

“I’m just happy we didn’t have to go to Aptos (or some other far-away school),” Owdom said. “None of us (PAL teams) has to travel.”

The biggest difference now in the CCS selection meeting is the fact teams are no longer awarded spots based on power points. At-large selection is now a subjective process, one in which teams give their argument as to why they should be included. Overall record, strength of schedule and past performance all factor into the decision-making process.

“The (CCS administrator) said before the (seeding meeting), ‘Put your CCS hat on now.’ You want to do what’s best for CCS. … In most cases, I think [coaches] are all trying to do what’s best,” he said.

Despite a track record of qualifying for the tournament, advancing through the bracket is another thing altogether. While M-A has had the most success among PAL teams — advancing to the quarterfinals four of the last five years and making the semifinals twice in 2014 and 2018 — the rest of the PAL representatives have struggled to win matches beyond the first round. No PAL team other than M-A has advanced past the second round since Burlingame made the quarterfinals in 2009.

“I look at it this way,” said Owdom, who guided the Dons to their seventh straight CCS appearance. “My goal is to make this tournament. If you make this tournament, you’re one of the top 24 teams out of the section.

“If we win (our first round match), now we’re one of the top 16 teams in the CCS.”