Central Valley’s girls tennis team won one of two matches while reaching the quarterfinals of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-II playoffs this past week.

The ninth-seeded Hawks made program history by winning their first-ever playoff match, topping eighth-seeded Chavez 6-3 on Nov. 4 in Stockton.

“I’m excited for the players,” Central Valley head coach Nimrat Chahal said. “Hopefully, it leads to more success in the future.”

The Hawks won four of six singles and two of three doubles matches en route to upsetting the Titans.

Four of the matches were decided in three sets.

“It was really competitive,” Chahal said. “It could have gone either way.”

Central Valley’s Jasleen Kaur clinched the team win with a 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 victory against Elizabeth Fernando in No. 4 singles play.

The match lasted two-plus hours.

“She found a way to win,” Chahal said. “She was more mentally focused and locked in.”

Aaliyah Jauregui, Lizeth Cazarez Perez, Harkiran Sandhu, Valerie Espinoza, Valeria Sanchez Luna, Roxana Orozco and Genesis Velasquez Pedraza also contributed the Hawks’ point total as a team.

Jauregui topped Anabel Armendariz 6-0, 6-4 in No. 3 singles play.

Cazarez Perez topped Princess Briones 6-2, 7-5 in No. 5 singles play.

Sandhu topped Charlotte Margate 6-2, 6-1 in No. 6 singles play.

Espinoza and Sanchez Luna topped Haley Trinh and Camilla De La Rivas 7-5, 7-5 in No. 1 doubles play.

Orozco and Velasquez Pedraza topped Avery Douglas and Alyssa Vang 3-6, 6-1, 10-7 in No. 3 doubles play.

Aleena Higle lost 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 to Rubi Hernandez in No. 1 singles play.

Mikalynne Tapia lost 6-1, 6-0 to Vivian Mendez in No. 2 singles play.

Melanie Chavez and Illyana Vidal lost 1-6, 7-6, 6-4 to Angelina Ngim and Jea Janelle Sansom in No. 2 doubles play.

“I really didn’t have expectations for playoffs,” Chahal said. “Once I saw Chavez during warmups, I thought we could win the match.”

Central Valley closed out the season with a 9-0 loss at top-seeded Gregori on Wednesday.

The Hawks dropped six singles and three doubles matches in straight sets to the heavily-favored Jaguars.

“They were really good,” Chahal said. “We were overmatched. Our girls competed hard. They were the better team.”

Central Valley enjoyed its best season to date this fall.

The Hawks amassed a 14-1 overall record, won all 12 of their matches while claiming their first conference title and secured their first playoff victory.

“A lot of the credit goes to the girls, showing up day in and day out,” Chahal said. “They were committed. We had a lot of returners, which really helped.”

Central Valley swept Grace Davis (8-1, 7-2), Pacheco (8-1, 7-2), Beyer (6-3, 6-3), Livingston (7-2, 5-4), Johansen (7-2, 9-0) and Lathrop (9-0, 9-0) on its way to compiling a perfect 12-0 record during Western Athletic Conference play.

“We mentioned to the girls we were good enough to win it (league),” Chahal said. “They stayed focused and competed.”

The Hawks will vie for additional success in 2025.

Central Valley will lose six players to graduating, including starters Tapia, Kaur, Cazarez Perez and Chavez. 

“All four of them were a big part of the culture we built,” Chahal said. “They’re good players and people. It will be hard to replace them.”

Eight starters could return to the team, including Higle, Jauregui, Sandhu, Espinoza, Sanchez Luna, Vidal, Orozco and Velasquez Pedraza.

“Hopefully, we’ll compete for the league championship next year,” Chahal said. “We’ll see.”