Unbeaten during the regular season, Central Valley’s boys tennis team had its 13-match winning streak snapped in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-I playoffs.
The 12th-seeded Hawks lost 8-1 while competing against the fifth-seeded Pleasant Grove Eagles on May 1 in Elk Grove.
“They’re a different monster,” Central Valley head coach Nimrat Chahal said. “You could tell their kids have been playing tennis a lot longer based on how they were playing. Most of their kids play club tennis.”
Central Valley won one of six singles matches versus the Pleasant Grove.
Alex Aguilar prevented the shutout by prevailing 6-4, 6-1 against Edward Dang in No. 5 singles play.
“Everything I saw from him was good,” Chahal said. “He played a complete game. He did awesome. He dominated. It’s the best I’ve seen him play all year.”
Avori Ortega lost 6-1, 6-3 to Ryan Iwamura in No. 1 singles play.
Roman Parodi lost 6-0, 6-0 to Owynn Oltmanns in No. 2 singles play.
Osvaldo Cisneros lost 6-1, 6-3 Alvin Yan in No. 3 singles play.
Silas Rodriguez lost 6-0, 6-4 to Alex Hoberg in No. 4 singles play.
Jaylan Tagadaya lost 6-3, 6-2 to Shawn Dang in No. 6 singles play.
Central Valley dropped all three doubles matches to Pleasant Grove.
Abraham Munguia and Gurtaj Saran lost 6-2, 6-4 to Joleb Huynh and Xavier Cools in No. 1 doubles play.
Simar Malhi and Sahib Patter lost 7-5, 6-1 to Chase Kwong and Saharsh Sannepalli in No. 2 doubles play.
Andrew Arevalo and Cristian Gudino lost 6-1, 6-4 to Jayden Phou and Acesen Kong in No. 3 doubles play.
“I thought we did well,” Chahal said while assessing his team’s overall performance versus the Eagles. “There were a lot of competitive points. The kids had fun.”
The Eagles posted an 11-4 overall record and placed second in the Delta League with a 9-3 mark this year.
Pleasant Grove lost 6-3 to fourth-seeded Oak Ridge in the quarterfinals of the playoffs on May 5.
Central Valley didn’t earn a home playoff match despite placing first in the Western Athletic Conference with a perfect 12-0 mark.
“I kind of had a feeling we were going to be on the road,” Chahal said. “It wasn’t a surprise. Tennis in the Sacramento area is at a higher level.”
Central Valley’s boys tennis team made history this spring.
The Hawks didn’t lose a single match during the regular season.
Central Valley compiled a 13-0 overall record prior having its unbeaten streak snapped by Pleasant Grove in the playoffs.
The Hawks claimed the WAC championship, their first league crown.
Central Valley won home-and-away matches against Beyer, Grace Davis, Johansen, Lathrop, Livingston and Pacheco during WAC play.
“This was a special group,” Chahal said. “They were able to accomplish things other teams weren’t able to do. It was a really fun year. We had a good time.”
Cisneros, Rodriguez, Ortega and Parodi reached the finals of the WAC Doubles Tournament.
Cisneros and Rodriguez made history by becoming Central Valley’s first-ever boys doubles champions.
Cisneros and Rodriguez rallied for a 3-6, 6-1, 10-8 win over Ortega and Parodi in the finals.
“We’ve had (doubles) teams place second in the past,” Chahal said. “But this is the first time we won the tournament.”
Central Valley will lose six players to graduation, including Ortega, Cisneros, Rodriguez, Aguilar, Tagadaya and and Salvador Alvarez Madriz.
Ortega, Cisneros, Rodriguez, Aguilar and Tagadaya started.
“The reason we won the league championship is because of them,” Chahal said. “They have a lot of fun playing. All five of them are committed. I’m not sure they missed a practice this year.”
