SEASON ENDS FOR WOMEN'S TENNIS AT SOCAL REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

By John Sanders

ANTELOPE VALLEY PRESS Sports Correspondent

 

CYPRESS – The historic run for the Antelope Valley College women's tennis team ended after one singles player and two doubles teams were eliminated in the second round of the Southern California Regional Championships, Saturday afternoon at Cypress College.

 

The Marauders were attempting to qualify for the state championships next Friday and Saturday at Mt. SAC.

 

"When you get to this point in the season, you know everybody can play," AVC head coach Justin Webb said. "Obviously we are disappointed in the way it went today, but I'm so proud of the girls and the girls should be proud of themselves."

 

Kristi Henderson was the lone AVC singles player attempting to advance. Henderson and partner Naia Smithley and AVC's other doubles team of Brooke Faulk and Sabrina Bulsombut also were defeated in the Round of 16.

 

Henderson opened the morning as she was pitted against the tournament's No. 4 seed, Julia Jones of El Camino College. Henderson played well, but Jones, who only lost two games in four sets, both the Henderson, was too much defeating her 6-1, 6-1.

 

"I thought I played pretty well considering my opponent was more skilled and knew how to handle my shots. I made more mistakes than usual, but mistakes are expected in a match," Henderson said. "It's how we approach mistakes that determine match results and today I was a little distracted. My coaches had to remind me that tennis is tennis and everything else is outside the court. I really tried to just focus on tennis and get one point at a time, win or lose."

 

Henderson finished the season as one of the most accomplished Marauders in school history. She finished in the top four of the Western State Conference in singles, top 16 in Southern California in singles and top 16 in Southern California with Smithley in doubles.

 

Henderson and Smithley played even for the first six games of the first set against the No. 5 overall seed, Emunah Daffon and Augustin Berrondo from College of the Desert, one of the state's top programs. Daffon and Berrondo won the final three games of the set to win 6-3. The duo was too tough in the second set winning, 6-0.

 

Daffon, the tournament's No. 5 singles player, said that Henderson and Smithley, "were one of the best teams we've played all year. They were hard to figure out. They made us work really hard."

 

"Naia (Smithley) and I played well in doubles together. We communicated well and we tried to be unpredictable with our shots," Henderson said. "They (Daffon and Berrondo) were very skilled. Overall, I truly believe we treated this match as our last, in a positive way, putting everything we learned and practiced on the court."

 

Unfortunately for Faulk and Bulsombut, they faced a familiar foe to Henderson and Smithley, in Santa Monica College's Nicole West and Kai Nikchevich, the tournament's top seeded team. West and Nikchevich won the match 6-0, 6-1.

 

"The match went well for who we were up against. We were able to win a game from them," Faulk said. "The score didn't actually show how close the match was. I'm pleased with the way we have grown as a team. I'm taking what I learned this year in tennis and applying it to my life."

 

Webb, in his fifth season, has seen much improvement over the years since he has taken over.

 

"A major factor for our success was during our COVID year our administration was proactive in letting us continue to play," he said. "I want to give a big thank you to our college board and our president for letting our teams continue to participate."