DAVIS, Calif. -- Five of six St. Francis High singles players and all three doubles tandem won in straight sets as the Troubadours defeated host Davis High, 8-1, in a Delta League girls tennis dual match Monday afternoon.
SFHS improves to 8-3 in league play while the Blue Devils slip to 7-4. The two teams entered the match tied for second place in the standings, trailing only undefeated Pleasant Grove.
Monday's win also avenges a previous 5-4 Troubie loss against Davis on September 23, during which St. Francis was missing players at both singles and doubles in a match that was forced to move across the Yolo Causeway. Head coach Kristi Spector praised her team for the strides it has made, not just in that short span, but over the course of the 2021 season.
"Ever since we started tryouts, we have just been getting stronger and working on things, whether it's our singles or doubles play," Spector said. "We've been down to the Bay Area twice and the teams were very strong. But even though we weren't winning those matches, we were learning from them. And I think it has paid off: the girls have had to learn how to adjust their game, fight hard and play for every point."
"I'm very proud of the girls in the way they're coming together. We've been focused and working really hard on our doubles team strategy, pairing the right people together and working on volleys and net play. Sanggeetha has been a huge part of that," added Spector, referring to volunteer assistant Sanggeetha Vijayakumar, a former collegiate national doubles champion.
Senior Safaa Umar dispatched Ellie Chang by scores of 6-0, 6-1 in the dual's most decisive win, while junior Norah Zhou stormed back from a 5-1 deficit in the first set to claim a 7-5 victory, then closed out with a 6-1 win in the second frame of her No. 3 singles win. Chloe Garcia also notched a 6-0 win in the second set against DHS's Natalie Hersch at No. 5 singles.
The Troubies close out Delta League regular-season play with a road match at Elk Grove on Thursday.
ST. FRANCIS 8, DAVIS 1
Singles
1. Safaa Umar (SF) def Ellie Chang (D), 6-0, 6-1
2. Hannah Proctor (D) def. Aniyus Pierre (SF), 6-3, 6-2
3. Norah Zhou (SF) def. Maya Moeller (D), 7-5, 6-1
4. Lauren Lai (SF) def. Charlotte Sloane (D), 6-2, 6-1
5. Chloe Garcia (SF) def. Natalie Hersch (D), 6-2, 6-0
6. Hayley Labia (SF) def. Alena Voss (D), 6-3, 6-1
Doubles
1. Allie Dinh/Tatum Walbeck (SF) def. Cloe Lamareux/Maria Anderson (D), 6-3, 6-4
2. Ayahna Gonzales/Juliette Irwin (SF) def. Noa Vinokurov/May Edmonds (D), 6-2, 7-5
3. Lucy Phillips/Evelyn Cortez (SF) def. Bianco Ho/Jennifer Lee (D), 6-2, 7-5
