Nor Cal tennis tourney postponed

While Menlo earned a Nor Cal bid by advancing to the finals of the Central Coast Section team tournament Nov. 16, the Lady Knights’ rival Sacred Heart Prep also enjoyed a fine Central Coast Section run. In the CCS team tournament, the Gators advanced to the quarterfinals before falling 6-1 to Menlo in what SHP head coach Losaline Mafileo called “probably the best match we played against Menlo this year.”

In the CCS Singles Championships, No. 3-seed Charlotte Weber of SHP advanced to the finals before falling 6-2, 6-4 No. 1 Rachel Gee of Evergreen Valley. Weber enjoyed an upset win in the semifinals with a 2-6, 6-3, 10-3 victory Nov. 20, knocking off No. 2 Pavith Khara of Harker.

“I think the key point was that second set for her, was to just focus and play here game,” Mafileo said. “The second set was a lot more consistent and she played a better, smarter game. ... In the tiebreaker, she was on fire.”

Menlo, in addition to finishing runner-up in the CCS team tournament, saw Kate Hsia and Izzy Klugman advance through the CCS Doubles Championships into the semifinals.

“They looked good,” Menlo first-year head coach Francis Sargeant said. “They played two good teams and beat them pretty convincingly.”

Playing as the No. 4 seed, Hsia and Klugman earned wins over St. Ignatius and Harker before running into No. 1-seed Los Altos in the semifinals, where they fell 6-1, 6-1.

“They competed hard and had plenty of opportunities,” Sargeant said. “I feel like the scoreline wasn’t a fair representation of what happened in that match. They played a lot closer. ... Semifinals of CCS is not a bad feat at all.”

Heading into the Nor Cal tournament, Menlo is champing at the bit to get another shot at Harker. The Knights fell to their WBAL counterpart twice in the regular season before falling 5-2 in the finals of the CCS Team Championships, held Saturday, Nov. 16, at Bay Club Courtside in Santa Clara.

Harker is seeded No. 1 in the eight-team field of the Nor Cal tourney.

“I’m really hoping that we have a rematch against them,” Sargeant said. “I truly feel like we can do better, and I feel like we can win that match. ... We need to get there first. We’re certainly not overlooking any teams.”

Menlo is set to open against Davis, Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 11:30 a.m.

Sargeant is in his first year as a varsity high school coach after taking over the Menlo program from great, longtime coach Bill Shine.

“It’s been a different challenge in a lot of ways,” Sargeant said. “It’s been really rewarding. I’ve still got plenty of things to learn.”

Both Peninsula Athletic League teams advanced through the first round of the CCS team tournament. Burlngame knocked off Valley Christian, 6-1, before falling to No. 3 Monta Vista in the second round. Aragon won its opener 5-2 over Leigh, then fell in the second round 6-1 to St. Ignatius.

In CCS singles play, Monday, Nov. 18, No. 4-seed Tessa Ellingson of Menlo-Atherton fell in the first round 6-2, 3-6, 10-8 to Cupertino’s Anika Malik. Carlmont’s Chloe Khachadourian also fell in the first round 4-6, 6-2, 10-4 to Los Altos’ Pallavi Mallampati.

In CCS doubles play, No. 3-seed Morgan Bence and Zoe Hendricks of Carlmont advanced to the semifinals with wins of Branham 6-1, 6-0; and over Stevenson 6-2, 6-2; before falling 6-2, 6-1 to Monta Vista in the semifinals. Aragon’s Jessa Willams and Ella Teng advanced to the second round with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Leland, before falling 6-0, 6-1 to Los Altos.