Mustangs fall short of team title
| Tuesday, May 26 2009 11:35 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, May 26 2009 11:35 PM
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Tomas Ovalle / Special to The Californian Jeremy Quiroz reaches for a return in the second set in a 6-2, 6-1 loss to Vincent Paganetti of Clovis West in the Men's Tennis Section Finals at Clovis West High School on Tuesday, May 26, 2009.
Tomas Ovalle / Special to The Californian Jeremy Quiroz serves in the first set of a 6-2, 6-1 loss to Vincent Paganetti of Clovis West in the Men's Tennis Section Finals at Clovis West High School on Tuesday, May 26, 2009.
FRESNO -- Clovis West junior Vincent Paganetti woke up nervous Tuesday, not so much because he would face two-time Central Section singles champion Jeremy Quiroz later that day, but because he could only hope his pep talk to tennis teammates would work.
"We talked about it," Paganetti said later, "and they all knew it was going to be a tough match. Everybody else had to step up."
They did. Despite Paganetti's loss to Quiroz -- the Golden Eagles beat Stockdale 6-3 at home for the Division I section team title.
Paganetti did have the last laugh; he careened a winner down the line in the No. 1 doubles match that clinched the title. Paganetti and Stefan Loop beat Quiroz and Neil Dave 6-3, 6-4 in a situation where Stockdale needed to win all three doubles matches.
The Mustangs (24-3), who won only the No. 3 doubles, were in that situation because of victories at No. 3 singles by Brice Austin and at No. 6 by Ethan Kurtz.
Austin edged Pierre Tamer in a first-set tiebreaker and rolled to a 7-6(5), 6-3 win, and Kurtz won the last five games to avoid a third set in a 6-3, 7-5 win against Eric Lopez.
That, despite Quiroz's 6-2, 6-1 victory over Paganetti, gave Clovis West (21-4) a 4-2 lead and forced Stockdale coach Dave Hillestad to scramble his doubles lineup.
"They were a little bit better in singles," Hillestad said. "We were kind of fighting from behind early, and the pressure was on right away. I really thought we'd get (a third singles match), and when we didn't, it really kind of took the wind out of our sails."
