With the regular season all wrapped up for girls’ tennis, the West Ranch Wildcats took home the Foothill League crown after putting up an unbeaten record in league play.
The Wildcats, who accumulated a 12-1 overall record, and were 12-0 in league play, captured the league crown as well as an automatic berth into the postseason.
“It feels great to me, but I think it feels even more wonderful for the team,” West Ranch head coach Paul Orszag said. “I think the girls are really excited. They were really trying to get that 12th win under their belt so they can be undefeated.”
Throughout the season, the team only suffered one loss to Palisades High School in a non-league match.
As for the other teams, Valencia girls’ tennis placed second in the league with an overall record of 11-9-1 and 10-2 in league play. The Vikings’ two league losses of the season came to West Ranch, both matches that Orszag stated were the most competitive tennis that was played all season.
“There are three schools who typically vie for first place, and it’s West Ranch, Valencia, and Golden Valley. And this year, we were lucky,” he said. “We were able to able to overcome them twice. So, it was quite an accomplishment for these girls.”
In individual play, it was Ta’leighah Saulter who turned in the best performance for West Ranch as she went undefeated in singles play.
Saulter won 32 straight sets and did not drop a match all season, per her head coach.
Kaylie Chung, who’s the Wildcats’ second singles player, ended the year with only two losses.
“I have to give all the credit to the girls. They’re talented, they’re a unified team and there’s no infighting. They support each other, and they’re all very talented. So, it makes a coach’s job very easy,” Orszag said.
With the regular season over, West Ranch girls’ tennis clinches the league title and will be joined alongside Valencia, Golden Valley and Saugus as qualifying teams to participate in this year’s playoffs.
The West Ranch Wildcats will play in the Division 3 bracket and on the road in the first round against the California Academy of Math and Science.
The Valencia Vikings play in Division 5 at home and host Oxford Academy and are joined alongside Golden Valley who play on the road against Chaparral in the first round.
As for Saugus, the Centurions play in the first round of the Division 6 bracket and host La Mirada.
All first-round matchups are scheduled for Tuesday at 2 p.m.; dates and times are subject to change.
