Central Valley High School girls tennis leader Mike Rodriguez coached Harman Kaur and Navreet Pattar for the final time this past month.
The two seniors, along with juniors Lesly Rivas and Samantha Perez, represented the Hawks at the Central California Conference Championships.
“They (Kaur and Pattar) worked really hard every day and got a lot better,” Rodriguez said. “They always had great attitudes.”
Kaur and Rivas competed at the CCC Singles Tournament on Oct. 26 at Buhach High School in Atwater.
Kaur lost 6-1, 6-0 to third-seeded/eventual runner-up Leah Chapman of Buhach Colony in the opening round.
“It was a tough draw,” Rodriguez said. “She just ran into a better player. That girl made the finals.”
Kaur was a member of Central Valley’s girls tennis program for three years.
She split time at No. 1 and 2 singles this fall.
Kaur was a doubles player her junior and sophomore years.
“Career-wise, I thought she did really well,” Rodriguez said. “She worked hard and improved. She put in a lot of extra time.”
Rivas fell 4-6, 6-4, 10-4 to Atwater’s Sydney Nickelson in the first round.
“She did a good job competing,” Rodriguez said. “She hit the ball well. She just tired out.”
Rivas played singles during the regular season.
She contributed at doubles sophomore year.
“She had to learn how to play singles,” Rodriguez said. “It’s a different game.”
Kaur and Rivas, and Pattar and Perez teamed up at the CCC Doubles Tournament on Oct. 28 at Buhach Colony.
Pattar and Perez compiled a 1-1 record.
“I thought they did a pretty good job for their first doubles tournament,” Rodriguez said. “They set each other up and made plays at the net.”
Pattar and Perez won their first-round match, 6-4, 6-0, against El Capitan.
They lost 6-1, 6-1 to Merced in the quarterfinals.
“They just ran into a better team,” Rodriguez said.
Kaur and Rivas lost 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 to Buhach Colony in the opening round,
“The team they played was really good,” Rodriguez said. “It was a close match. I thought they competed well. We just had too many unforced errors.”
