APTOS — Gianna Rovai and Madison Glynn didn’t mind having Aptos High’s undefeated season riding on their rackets.
Having dozens of eyes on them didn’t knock them out of their element either.
It might have even made them stronger.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had this big an audience and been the last match,” Glynn said.
Added a confident Rovai: “Having them watching made it easier. Having their encouragement, I liked it.”
In the moment and in the zone, Rovai and Glynn outlasted Castilleja’s duo of Simran Sandhu and Lexi Bundy, 6-7, 6-2, 6-1, in No. 1 doubles to help the Mariners edge the Gators, 4-3, in the first round of the Central Coast Section team tournament on Monday at the Seascape Sports Club.
It is the Mariners’ first win in the CCS team tournament in more than a decade and it improves their season record to 15-0.
They’ll put their undefeated season on the line today at No. 2 Saratoga High, a two-time section champion which advanced to the semifinals last season.
Acting head coach Marc Godoy, filling in for Linda Hitchcock, said the Mariners will have their hands full but added that he was proud of the way his team played on Monday.
“Every match was close and it came down to one final match,” Godoy said. “Our two seniors, Madison and Gianna, were just tough.”
Tough, experienced and well conditioned.
Their match lasted just a little more than an hour and 40 minutes but they showed no sign of slowing in the latter sets. Instead, it seemed like the duo was well into its second wind midway through the second set. Glynn played well from the back, hitting several winners down the line with her short but deceptively strong stroke, and Rovai took advantage of her height and length up front, making herself a wall in volleys.
“I feel like the pressure was getting to the other team,” Rovai said. “They were kind of not on their ‘A’ game after that and I feel like we played pretty well, too.”
Added Glynn: “We thrived off of the confidence we got from winning the second set.”
Sophomores Mia Totah (6-0, 6-2) and Lila (6-3, 6-2) and Rebecca Sampson (6-1, 6-1) also won their matches to help the Mariners advance.
Lila, however, had a little more resistance than the other two in her No. 2 singles match against Castilleja’s Mabelle Pasmooij. The strings on her racket broke during the second set and she had to switch to her backup. On top of that, Pasmooij was playing a crafty match with a tough serve and strong forehand.
Midway through the second set, however, Lila made the adjustment, pushing Pasmooij back with deeper shots and taking away her power.
After scoring the match-winning point, she let out a loud “c’mon” that echoed through the courts.
“She was coming back and I wasn’t hitting any good shots,” Lila said. “I was so happy when I won that point.”
Totah and the Sampson twins were well done with their matches before the doubles teams and No. 4 singles finished up.
Sophomore Molly Mott lost 6-4, 6-4 to Sophia Nesamoney in No. 4 singles, seniors Kaitlin Sakae and Ava Totah fell 7-5, 6-1 to Soline Boussard and Jordan Yau in No. 2 doubles and juniors Harliegh Doremann and Amy Buchanan couldn’t top Eliza Goler and Jackie Hillman in No. 3 doubles, losing a 7-5, 7-5 heartbreaker.
With the match tied 3-all, the four dozen folks in attendance gathered around for the deciding set of the deciding match.
Rovai and Glynn made quick work of Sandhu and Bundy to keep their final season alive.
