Ceres High’s varsity girls tennis team couldn’t match Manteca’s talent, experience and depth during last week’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division-III playoff showdown.
The seventh-seeded Bulldogs closed out the 2018 season with a 9-0 loss to the No. 2 Manteca Buffaloes on Oct. 31.
“They have a really good program,” Ceres High senior Shania Evans said. “They’ve won multiple section and league titles in the past. We all tried our hardest.”
The Bulldogs dropped all six singles and three doubles matches to the Buffaloes.
Evans lost 6-0, 6-2 to Julia Tang in No. 1 singles play.
Vivian Moreno lost 6-1, 6-0 to Sahiba Kaur in No. 2 singles play.
Camille Vega lost 6-0, 6-0 to Ellie Kim in No. 3 singles play.
Tania Garfias lost 6-1, 6-0 to Makenna Condit in No. 4 singles play.
Gurmenjit Bahia lost 6-0, 6-0 to Navina Mann in No. 5 singles play.
Jillian Jimenez lost 6-1, 6-0 to Kerren Zou in No. 6 singles play.
Morgan Bejaran and Christel Ontiveros lost 6-2, 6-2 to Noeli Mercado and Melissa Poncini in No. 1 doubles play.
Jasmine Bahia and Monica Esparza lost 6-1, 6-1 to Yanki Ma and Kalissa Martin in No. 2 doubles play.
Elena Ochoa and Gurmannet Bahia lost 6-1, 6-0 to Isabella Huerta and Danielle Diaz in No. 3 doubles play.
“We’re not disappointed. They won fair and square. They beat us with their consistency. I don’t think any of us were intimidated. We were happy to get there and we were trying to prolong the ride.”Shania Evans
“We’re not disappointed,” Evans said. “They won fair and square. They beat us with their consistency. I don’t think any of us were intimidated. We were happy to get there and we were trying to prolong the ride.”
The three-time reigning Valley Oak League champion Buffaloes improved to a perfect 17-0.
The Bulldogs finished second with an 11-3 record in the Western Athletic Conference standings.
“It was definitely a memorable season for the seniors,” Evans said. We’re proud of how we did. We had a lot of fun.”
Ceres High will lose eight players to graduation, including Evans, Moreno, Vega, Bejaran, Ochoa, Lizbeth Barajas, Jaspinder Mann and Kaylyn Ramirez.
“Coach Moring has done a good job keeping the underclassmen involved and ready to fill our shoes,” Evans said. “I believe they’ll have a strong program for years to come.”
