Six members of Central Valley’s girls tennis program enjoyed success and gained valuable experience while competing at the Western Athletic Conference Championships this past month, including Mikalynne Tapia, Aleena Higle, Aaliyah Jauregui, Valerie Espinoza, Jasleen Kaur and Harkiran Sandhu.
“I have no complaints,” head coach Nimrat Chahal said. “They all played hard. They competed, which is the biggest thing.”
Tapia and Higle joined rare company by becoming just the fourth Hawk tandem to claim a doubles title.
Claudia Martinez and Lupe Becerra and Bandna Bhatti and Virginia Moore took first at the WAC and Central California Conference Doubles Championships in 2016 and 2019, respectively.
Moore and Edith Amaya claimed the WAC South Doubles crown in 2021.
“For me, it wasn’t a surprise,” Chahal said while talking about Tapia’s and Higle’s performance. “They have experience. They played together in the tournament last year. They’re best friends.”
“They deserve it,” he added. “They work hard. They don’t miss practice.”
Tapia, a senior, and Higle, a junior, won all four of their matches on Oct. 24 in Manteca.
“They were focused,” Chahal said. “They played well together. They both excelled at the things they needed to. They moved the ball around. All of their hard work paid off.”
Tapia and Higle rallied for a 2-6, 6-2, 10-7 win over Pacheco’s Monica Mendoza and Angela Gomez in the finals.
“It was their fourth match of the day,” Chahal said. “They were really tired.”
“They settled down after losing the first set and started hitting some good shots,” he added. “The energy of the match changed. It really helped.”
Tapia and Higle edged Central Valley teammates Jauregui and Espinoza 6-0, 4-6, 10-3 in the semifinals.
“It was a really competitive match,” Chahal said. “It was back and forth. They took the match serious. I tried not to watch it. Either way, you can’t really cheer.”
Tapia and Higle topped Livingston 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
Tapia and Higle bested Beyer’s Fernanda Perez and Miriam Alwakeel 6-0, 6-2 in the opening round.
Jauregui, a junior, and Espinoza, a sophomore, compiled a 2-1 record at the WAC Doubles Tournament.
“I have no complaints,” Chahal said. “This was their first time playing together. Overall, they did well.”
“I was hoping they were on the opposite side of the bracket (of Tapia and Higle),” he added. “I thought they were the second-best team.”
Jauregui and Espinoza lost in three sets to Tapia and Higle in the semifinals.
They defeated Beyer’s Milla Pineda and Alessandra Rossini in the quarterfinals.
Jauregui and Espinoza defeated Grace Davis’ Gloria Stevenson and Lalelei Laolagi 6-0, 6-1 in the opening round.
Kaur and Sandhu lost in three sets, 4-6, 7-5, 12-10, to Beyer’s Pineda and Rossini in the first round.
Jauregui advanced to the semifinals of the WAC Singles Tournament on Oct. 22.
She posted a 2-1 record.
Jauregui defeated Beyer’s Milla Pineda 3-6, 6-1, 10-2 in the opening round and Grace Davis’ Bahara Naibi 6-0, 6-3 in the semifinals.
She lost to Grace Davis’ Alexia Galvan Hernandez in the semifinals.
“Aaliyah’s athleticism was miles ahead of anyone at the tournament,” Chahal said. “She’s so quick. She gets to every ball. Her serve is one of the best in league. She has a lot of traits that help her compete. She can be the best player in the league if she wants to. I’m hoping her or Aleena win the singles championship next year.”
Higle reached the quarterfinals.
She compiled a 1-1 record.
Higle defeated Johansen’s Jocelyn Ibanez Soto 6-2, 6-1 in the opening round.
She lost to Grace Davis’ Galvan Hernandez in the quarterfinals.
“She played hard,” Chahal said. “She just played against a girl that was better. The goal for her next year will be for her to win the whole tournament.”
Tapia compiled an 0-1 record.
Seh lost 6-2, 6-2 to Grace Davis’ Galvan Hernandez in the opening round.
“She had a tough matchup,” Chahal said. “She had to play the No. 3 seed.”
