Lady Titans Surge Past Pesky Nighthawks

Locked in a 4-4 stalemate against visiting Murrieta Valley last Thursday afternoon, San Marino High School’s girls’ varsity tennis team desperately needed some of its roster to take a step up if the Lady Titans were to defeat the 10th-ranked Nighthawks.
The Lady Titans’ #3 doubles team of senior Dahlys Ang & junior Caitlyn Nguyen were in a 4-0 hole against Murrieta Valley’s #2 squad, when the tide began to turn. Ang & Nguyen came all the way back to win the set 6-4. At the same time, San Marino’s #3 singles player, sophomore Katie Kirkendall was trouncing her counterpart by a final score of 6-1.
And while there were many more sets to be played, those two victories provided sufficient momentum to propel the Lady Titans to victory and a 2-0 record.
“Those two wins were key,” said Bryce Pereira, who has been standing in as the Lady Titans’ coach while his father, Melwin, recovers from knee surgery. “They really turned things around.”
San Marino’s first doubles team of Sophia Lee & Sabrina Lieu swept their opponents 6-4, 6-1 and 6-0; Ang and Nguyen won two of their three sets and the duo of Rakel Ang & Kayla Chen went 1-2.
Sophomore Anessa Lee remained unbeaten at first singles, winning by scores of 6-0, 6-1 and 6-0. Kirkendall and #3 singles player Libby Chang each took a set to round out the scoring.
The Lady Titans open the defense of their Rio Hondo League title on Thursday, September 21 with a visit to South Pasadena. Peninsula pays a visit to SMHS on Monday, September 25 at 3:15 p.m. for a touchstone match against a tennis powerhouse.