WOMEN'S TENNIS MAKES HISTORY BY QUALIFYING FOR STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR THE FIRST TIME

Marauders made history at Western State Conference Tournament over the weekend as they qualified for the CCCAA Women's Tennis State Championships.

The first day of the 2019 Western State Conference Tournament was a rough one for the Women's Tennis program. In the Round of 64 Natalie Pinzon lost her singles match 8-4, and Marbella Rubio lost 8-1. Mary Flint-Herrera won her Round of 64 match 8-3 but lost in the round of 32 6-1 6-0 and Becca Jaimes also found early success winning her Round of 64 match 8-5 before falling 6-0, 6-1 in the Round of 32.

Viktoriia Belonogova received a bye into the Round of 32 and lost a tough 3 set match, splitting the first two sets 3-6, 6-2, then losing 10-7 in the third set tiebreak.

Saturday is where the Marauders would make their mark. In doubles play, Mary Flint-Herrera and Viktoriia Belonogova received a bye into the Round of 16 and lost their first match 8-3, but then went on to win in the next round 8-2 securing their spot in the State Championship Tournament.

Natalie Pinzon and Becca Jaimes also lost their first match 8-3 on Friday, then secured their spot in the State Championship through the back draw as well. It is the first time any member of the Women's Tennis program has qualified for the State Championships under the current format which has been in place since 2013 and may be the first time in school history. "Obviously we are very pleased with the results, " Stated Head Coach Justin Webb. Webb also noted, " The ladies have worked really hard and it's great to see their commitment and effort pay off. We had three goals at the beginning of the year, field a full team, surpass last years win total, and qualify for the State Championships, and we achieved all three. We're really excited for the opportunity and will spend the next few weeks preparing to keep our season alive as long as possible."

The CCCAA State Championships are a part of the 119th Ojai Tournament and will begin Thursday, April 25th in Ventura.

Becca Jaimes (left) and Natalie Pinzon.

Viktoriia Belonogova (left) and Mary Flint-Herrera.