The Cypress High girls’ tennis team delivered another solid effort in non-league action. On Wednesday, Sept. 12, the Centurions defeated Wilson High (Long Beach) in a tough 10-8 victory at home.
“I am really happy with how we are playing,” Cypress High head coach Joseph Paul said. “We’ve been doing well this year.”
The win improved the Centurions to 5-1 overall this year. It also came on the heels of an 11-7 triumph against rival Kennedy High.
The Cypress High girls’ tennis team delivered another solid effort in non-league action. On Wednesday, Sept. 12, the Centurions defeated Wilson High (Long Beach) in a tough 10-8 victory at home.
“I am really happy with how we are playing,” Cypress High head coach Joseph Paul said. “We’ve been doing well this year.”
The win improved the Centurions to 5-1 overall this year. It also came on the heels of an 11-7 triumph against rival Kennedy High.
“That game was not as close as the score hinted,” Paul said.
No. 1 singles player Elyse Pham, who has not lost an Empire League match to a player from another school in two years, delivered another remarkable performance. The junior did not lose a single game, posting three 6-0 victories.
“She’s a great player,” Paul said. “We’re lucky to have her.”
Pham owns a record of 72-0 in league against opposing schools. The only loss she suffered occurred at the hands of former teammate Jennifer Lu, who transferred to Los Alamitos High this year.
“That was a big loss for us,” Paul said.
The Centurions also lost most of their doubles players this year, graduating half of the players who made up those tandems.
Despite the setback, the Centurions did quite well in doubles action against the Bruins. In fact, the doubles teams carried Cypress, which entered the third and final round tied at 6-6 with a three game advantage. This stemmed from No. 2 singles player Emily Nakamoto and No. 3 Alyanna Soriano losing all three of their matches.
For Cypress, the No. 1 doubles team of Kaitie Paek and Rooju Modi captured a pair of wins. Additionally, No. 2 Hannah Magno and Christine Samson, who lost a tough tiebreaker in the second round, also went 2-for-3 and No. 3 doubles Helen and Rachel Lee swept the competition.
The Lees, who are twin sisters, delivered back-to-back 6-4 wins and then a 6-2 victory.
Last year, Cypress finished in a three-way tie for the Empire League title, splitting the honor with Valencia and Yorba Linda. A coin toss was used to break the knot, which resulted in Cypress earning the No. 3 spot in the CIF Division-II tournament. However, the Centurions went further in the playoffs than both teams.