The Redwood High Class of 2025 is leaving an indelible mark on MCAL girls tennis.
With juniors ably holding down three of their top four singles spots, the Giants won their second straight league championship thanks to a convincing 7-0 victory over Branson on Thursday at Novato High.
The win was Redwood’s third in a row this season against the Bulls to leave no doubt about which MCAL team is No. 1. The Giants and Bulls split their regular-season meetings a year ago before Redwood dethroned Branson in the playoffs.
“Ridiculous,” said Redwood first-year coach Tracey Porter. “How did I get here? It’s such a blessing. So fun.”
It’s hard to tell who’s having more fun: Porter, who has never coached tennis or high school sports, or her MCAL champion Giants. Porter stepped in as coach at the last minute and her presence has seemingly complemented the already talented Giants.
“I love her,” said junior Julia Laury. “She’s definitely a spirit lifter. She has a lot of faith in us. She believes in us. That helps a lot — knowing that your coach believes you can win.”
As if they were in a race, Laury and fellow junior Gwenn Ricordel only dropped a combined five games for wins in No. 3 and No. 4 singles, respectively.
No. 1 singles player Jordan Marotto, another junior, won her opening set in less than 30 minutes over Katie Warrin en route to a 6-1, 6-0 victory that completed the Giants’ shutout.
The match of the day was No. 2 singles where Redwood freshman Julia Povio fought hard for a 6-4, 3-6, 10-6 victory over Audrey Gilmor. Credit Gilmor for being the only Branson player to get a set against the Giants, using a mix of shots to throw Povio off her rhythm.
When Povio and Gilmor met last week in an MCAL regular-season match, the Giants’ freshman was the only player on her team to lose against the Bulls, falling in a nearly three-hour marathon. That made Thursday’s win extra special.
“For her to win this tonight — I’m so happy for her,” said Porter. “She was in tears after the match.”
Redwood earns an automatic berth in the North Coast Section Division I tournament, which starts on Nov. 7. The Giants were the top seed last season, but lost to Miramonte in the semifinals.
Branson, which won the NCS D-II title in 2021, should get an at-large berth and high seed. The Bulls advanced to the NCS finals last year, suffering a narrow 4-3 loss to University.
The MCAL singles and doubles tournaments will take place at Novato on Monday through Wednesday. This year’s draws have been expanded to 16 up from 12 in previous years.
Due to four additional entries in both brackets, action begins at 12:30 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday. The finals are slated for Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.