Menlo-Atherton girls' tennis breaks through

There would not be another upset for the Mustangs, however, as M-A put together one of its strongest performances of the year in sweeping Homestead, 7-0.

With the win, the Bears become the first PAL public school team to advance to the semifinals in more than 21 years.

“[Advancing to the semifinals] would mean a lot,” said Ava Martin, M-A’s No. 1 singles player and one of the top singles players in the section.

“We feel this is one of best teams we’ve had (in several years).”

M-A head coach Tom Sorenson was more than surprised to see his team win so convincingly. While he was happy to be facing an unseeded opponent, he also realized how good Homestead must be if the Mustangs could knock off Cupertino, which had captured the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League championship.

“I wouldn’t have predicted this,” Sorenson said. “My prediction was, if there was a blowout, it would be for [Homestead].”

Martin set the tone for the Bears as she notched the first win of the day. Up 3-2 in the first set, Martin won the next three games for a 6-2 decision over Mahi Patel. In the second, Martin overwhelmed her opponent, finishing her off with a 6-1 win.

Martin was followed off the court moments later by the No. 2 doubles team of Callista Mille and Franny Lukas, who posted a 6-0, 6-2 victory.

Mille and Lukas had been the Bears’ No. 1 doubles tandem for most of the season, but was moved down a spot as Sorenson juggled his lineup to maximize the strength of his team, which is its depth.

Sorenson had already penciled in most of his starting lineup, but said any tennis coach’s biggest decision comes with deciding how to handle the No. 4 singles spot and the No. 1 doubles team.

Sorenson decided to pair Mara Williams with Lila Motamedi to play at No. 1 doubles and plugged Siena Aylaian at No. 4 singles. The moves worked perfectly as both came up winners.

“We needed to construct a lineup with the hope of squeaking out victories, something we haven’t had to do in a while,” Sorenson said. “In my mind, they’re all interchangeable.”

Mara Williams and Motamedi recorded a 6-1, 6-3 victory for the Bears' third team point and shortly thereafter, Emma Williams clinched the match-winning fourth point for M-A, winning her No. 3 singles match, 6-2, 6-3.

Sorenson was especially impressed with Aylaian, who dropped her first set against Homestead’s Thien-Nhi Vu, 5-7.

During the set break, Sorenson gave Aylaian what he said was the best pep talk he had.

She must have listened. Aylaian rallied to dominate the second set, 6-2, and because the team match had already been decided, beat Vu 10-6 in a super-tiebreaker third set.

It was just an example of the grit and determination the Bears showed on the court. It was on display at No. 2 singles, as well, as M-A freshman Tess Ellingson was down in each of the sets during her match with Bebel Yen. Ellingson trailed 3-2 midway through the first set before rallying. She held serve and then broke Yen to take a 4-3 lead and then wrapped up the set by extending her winning streak to four straight games for a 6-2 decision.

Yen came out smoking to start the second set, taking a quick 3-0 lead and eventually building a 5-2 advantage.

But Ellingson came roaring back, winning four of the next five games to force a second-set tiebreaker, which she would go on to win 7-4 and take the match in straight sets.

“They have fight,” Sorenson said of his team. “They have a bit of an edge.”

The Bears’ No. 3 doubles team of Johanna Gulliksson and Christine Herbst rounded out the sweep as they won a third-set, super-tiebreaker to post a 7-4, 4-6, (10-8) decision.

Now the Bears will be in the rarefied air of the CCS semifinals and the step up in competition will be a big one. M-A will face top-seeded and defending CCS champ Harker in the 10 a.m. semifinal match Saturday at Saratoga High. Harker beat No. 8 Monta Vista 7-0 in its quarterfinal match.

The other semifinal features No. 2 Menlo School against No. 3 St. Francis 10 a.m. at Lynbrook High. The Knights beat No. 7 Mountain View 7-0, while the Lancers punched their ticket to the semifinals with a 6-1 win over No. 6 Los Altos.

The championship match will be played at 5 p.m. Saturday at Bay Club Courtside in Los Gatos.

Sorenson, however, will not focus on the outcome of the match. His main objective is to make sure his players are on top of their game.

“Our standard is not to get to the semis or finals,” Sorenson said. “It’s to play our best tennis.”