Tennis Falls to Los Gatos in CIF/USTA NorCal Regionals

Posted: Nov 30, 2018

FOLSOM, Calif. – The St. Francis tennis team reached the CIF/USTA Northern California Regional semifinals Friday before falling to top-seed Los Gatos 4-3. The finish equaled the best in school history.

"I am super proud of this team," said Head Coach Kristi Spector. "We had some close matches and our line one doubles pulled out a very tight third set to get the last push to make it to the next round."

St. Francis won their opening match on Friday with a close 4-3 win over Monte Vista in the quarterfinals. Alisha Anwar and Samantha Sonntag pulled out a three set win at No. 1 doubles to clinch the match with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 win.

"I was really nervous," said Anwar. "In the first set we got it going and the second was had a rocky start. In the third we acted like it was the first set again. We had a fresh start and we made it through. We are all really happy with the results."

St. Francis got singles wins by Izzy Asker at No. 3 and freshman Safaa Umar at No. 4 to take a 2-0 lead in the match. The Mustangs tied the match at 2 with wins at No. 1 and 2 singles. Monte Vista took the lead with a win at No. 2 doubles.

The Troubadours rallied with a win at No. 3 doubles by junior Peyton Spellacy and senior Roya Pahlavan in three sets 7-5, 2-6, 6-2. St. Francis then pulled out the win with the No. 1 doubles win.

St. Francis had a 30-minute break before taking on top-seed Los Gatos, meeting the Cats for the second-consecutive year in the semifinals. The Troubies swept the doubles matches for three points but lost all four singles matches as Los Gatos advanced to the finals against Cupertino.

"We played them last year and we had a better result than last year," said Spector. Even though it ended our season it was a great year."

It was the final match for two Troubadour seniors, including top singles player Myra Anwar and Pahlavan.

"It is really special to have two seniors on the team and have them both play at this point," said Spector. "To have both among the top 10 players was great. They both fought hard and played well. They showed the team what it is like to play for your school and do it with grace."

Anwar finishes her career as a four-year starter for the Troubadours with 40 career wins.

"I feel amazing right now," said Anwar. "We played Los Gatos in the same tournament last year and lost 5-2. They were such a tough team. We knew how hard they would be to play and we were going to have to try harder. Even though we lost, we improved and everyone tried their best on the courts. We beat our goal and I am very proud of the team."

The CIF/USTA NorCal Regionals were postponed two weeks due to the weather and smoke in the area over the last two weeks.

"It was definitely a challenge between the smoke and the wet weather," said Spector. "Every school had the same challenges as we did and were in the same boat. It was hard to have a two week break but there were a lot of families that were effected a lot worse than we were."

St. Francis finishes the season with a 21-3 overall record, winning the Delta League championships with a 12-0 record. The Troubies advanced to the Sac-Joaquin Section finals for the third consecutive season before falling to Rocklin. The CIF/USTA NorCal Regional semifinal appearance equaled the best finish in school history (2008, 2009, 2011, 2017, 2018)

St. Francis 4, Monte Vista 3

Singles

1. T. Huang, MV, def. Myra Anwar, SF, 6-4, 6-0

2. A. Pham, MV, def. Adithi Benush, SF, 6-4, 6-4

3. Izzy Asker, SF, def. Angelina Izmaylov, MV, 6-1, 6-0

4. Safaa Umar, SF, def. J. Cranston, MV, 6-2, 6-2

Doubles

1. Alisha Anwar/Samantha Sonntag, SF, def. R. Takhan/B. Calemese, MV, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3

2. J. LoPoto/J. Chan, MV, def. Alex Evans/Bianca Ariza, SF, 6-3, 6-4

3. Peyton Spellacy/Roya Pahlavan, SF, def. S. Talbot/T. Atkins, MV, 7-5, 2-6, 6-2

Los Gatos 4, St. Francis 3

Singles