The Valencia Vikings girls tennis team traveled to Camarillo High School on Wednesday to face a Scorpions team that had lost only once this season.
Valencia came close to giving Camarillo its second loss, but fell short 11-7 in a match that featured several close sets.
No. 1 singles player Amanda Tabanera won all three of her sets handily, dropping just one game on the afternoon.
Tabanera was aggressive, attacking the net and moving the ball with ease. The fact that she wasn’t feeling 100 percent made her afternoon even more impressive.
“She’s always played her heart and soul for this team. Yesterday and the last two days she’s, been a little sick, but she’s never one to let that keep her down,” Vikings coach Annie Kellogg said. “She would never ask to come out. It was great to see her finish off strong in singles.”
While Tabanera played in her final match for her team, she will have one more opportunity to represent the Vikings this season as her and Brenna Whelan will pair up in the CIF-Southern Section Individual Sectionals taking place in a few weeks.
This will be Tabanera’s fourth straight appearance at the CIF-SS playoffs.
While Tabanera sharpened her singles game, Whelan teamed up with Kirsten Kieu on Wednesday to win two of their sets 6-3 and 6-0. They came back from an early deficit in their last set but fell 4-6.
“Brenna and Kirsten fought hard. We had a slow start in doubles. We tried to come back but that middle round we needed to do a little better,” Kellogg said. “They gave it all on the court. I knew it could be a close match.”
The other Valencia doubles team moving on to the CIF playoffs, Taylor Cohen and Ashley Villarta, won a set 6-1, but lost their other two sets 1-6.
Cohen and Villarta won a playoff spot by finishing second last week at the Foothill League prelims, losing to none other than Tabanera and Whelan.
Freshman Maria Cedeno was the other Viking to grab a set, winning her first matchup of the day 6-2. She lost her other two sets 0-6.
The Vikings will now await the CIF bracket announcement and see where the Tabanera and Whelan, and Cohen and Villarta tandems place.
“It all depends on the draws they get, if they’re seeded or not. We’ll see where they get placed,” Kellogg said. “I think they’re looking forward to it. I’m just glad Amanda got to move on because she moved on in Individuals all four years. Hopefully they all do well and Jordyn (McBride) and Justine (Dondonay) will do well.”
