With perseverance and gutty play, the Dos Palos Bronco girls tennis team continues its drive towards a section championship.
After defeating large school Hanford last Thursday in a thriller, 5-4, head coach Grace Hinojosa and her charge were scheduled to host Madera High this past Tuesday in a Central Section Div. V semifinal.
Madera, another large school, was seeded No. 8 in Div. V and they throttled Mission Oak-Tulare, 7-2 in their opening match last week. In their next match, the Coyotes easily defeated No. 1 seed Strathmore, 7-2.
Against Hanford, Dos Palos No. 2 singles player Brianna Flores dropped the first set, 6-0, but mounted a comeback in the second set, forcing a tiebreaker at 6-6.
“Brianna tried hard to get that win for the team and finish the match early,” said Coach Hinojosa. However, she lost the tiebreaker, 8-6.
The loss meant that the match came down to Bronco Mayra Torres at No. 5 singles.
The junior rose to the challenge, defeating her Hanford opponent, 6-2, 6-1 to clinch the quarterfinal victory.
The other wins were by senior Bethzaira Rodriguez at No. 4 singles. Senior Yeila Hernandez, the team captain, also won her singles match.
The other two victories came in doubles, as Flores teamed with Kenya Cortez for the win and at No. 3 doubles, sophomore Gennesis Ramirez and senior Jasmine Ramirez turned in the other victory.
Dos Palos opened the playoffs by defeating Liberty-Madera Ranchos, 6-3.
The doubles team of Ramirez/Ramirez won their match, but it was the singles portion where the team performed best. Rodriguez and Torres defeated their opponents, as did Hernandez at No. 6.
Hinojosa also said that all of the Bronco doubles teams qualified for the Area Tournament at the West Sierra League championships, which were held in Coalinga on October 24th.
Cortez and Flores placed second, and Ramrez/Ramirez took third. Guerrero and Hernandez placed fifth, and Rodriguez was the lone singles qualifier, placing fourth.
