Clinging to a one-game lead after thirteen league matches, the Corcoran High Panther tennis team was forced to make their longest trip of the season to Orange Cove. The pesky Titans had given the Panthers all they could handle in Corcoran a few weeks earlier, losing 6-3 with three matches swinging in the balance that eventually went Corcoran’s way.
CHS put on their game faces last Tuesday and came away with a convincing 7-2 victory that clinched the East Sequoia League title. In No. 1 singles, Sabrina Oregel pulled away from Lilly Gonzalez, 8-4. No. 2 singles, Debbie Martinez won a hard fought match against Jocelyn Alvarez, 8-5. No. 3 singles, Ashley Pappilli struggled against Reyna Sanchez before pulling off an overtime error-filled win, 7-7 (7-4). No. 4 singles, Jenny Gonzalez stopped Stella Lopez, 8-4. No. 6 singles, Stephanie Beas kept her unbeaten streak alive, defeating Lelsy Flores, 8-2. The Titans lone victory came at No. 5 singles, as Jennifer Gonzalez slipped past Simran Dulai, 6-8.
In doubles action, Pappilli and Martinez ran past Sanchez and Lopez, 8-4. Oregel and Gonzalez won an abbreviated match over Gonzalez and Alvarez, 5-4. The Titans got a win in No. 3 doubles as Rochelle Hernandez and Eileen Govea blitzed Monica Deloera and Maria Contreras for a 3-8 win.
The Panthers end the 2015 campaign with a 13-1 league record.
Last Thursday, the Panthers participated in the East Sequoia League’s Individual Tournament. Sabrina Oregel and Jenny Gonzalez reached the doubles finals before falling to Monica and Kelsie Gong, 4-6, 2-6. Ashley Pappilli won three of four matches in singles play. All three Panthers will see area action Friday, Oct. 30.
