Entering the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division 2 Tournament, the Coronado Islanders Girls Tennis Team set their sights high. To achieve their goal of winning the team tournament, the mantras were, “Every line [set] counts,” and “Every game counts.” The Islanders indeed needed every game and every line to land in the finals on Saturday against Mater Dei Catholic.
High school tennis plays an 18-set format, featuring 9 sets of singles and 9 sets of doubles. The team that wins the greatest number of sets wins the match. A set is typically the first to win 6 games. In the event of a tie at 9 sets each, the tiebreaker hinges on the total games won across all sets.
Sets matter. Games matter.
The team mantras were prescient. Against Eastlake, the team finished 9-9 and won the tiebreaker, 82-71 games. Sets counted. Games counted. Against Mission Hills, a similar scenario unfolded. The team finished 9-9 and, again, fighting for games mattered. The team punched its ticket to the semi-finals with an overall game score, 68-67. Just one game determined the winner. In the semi-finals, the team defeated Santana in comparatively easy fashion, 10 sets to 8 sets.
Team First
Volunteer assistant coach Beth Elardo shared, “Each team member stepped up in different ways to win key matches in the CIF D2 Team Tournament.”
Elardo highlighted that the teammates supported each other, set goals, and worked hard to achieve their goals. Seniors Ana Sofia Esponda, Aranza Luna Quintana, Gabriella Sardiello, Hana Araujo, Jimena Cortes, and Pia Gil stood out with their leadership and dedication.
For the finals, a tournament tradition is that the opposing team honors the player on the other team who exhibits sportsmanship and fair play. Mater Dei Catholic selected Islander doubles player Aranza Luna Quintana for the CIF Sportsmanship award.
The timing of the tournament was daunting. The team not only played four matches in six days, but the players also took their semester finals during that six-day time span. On Saturday, they fell to Mater Dei Catholic, 5-13. The team culminated a successful season in a well-deserved finalist position in the CIF Division 2 girls team tennis championships.