Warriors fall in D-III final
| Thursday, Nov 05 2009 11:18 PM
Last Updated Thursday, Nov 05 2009 11:18 PM
PORTERVILLE Reigning Central Section Division III champion Tehachapi has always prided itself on aggression and consistency.
However, Porterville was not about to let the Warriors get the chance to display either of those traits, using a heavy dose of lobs and defensive passing shots to post a 7-2 win in the Div. III championship.
The Panther victory avenges a 6-3 loss to the Lady Warriors in last year's semifinals.
"They surprised us by playing a lot of lob-ball and that took our girls out of rhythm early," Tehachapi coach Amy Lang said. "We adjusted as the match wore on but they got that jump on us."
Porterville (22-3) surged to a 4-1 advantage in singles play by keeping the Warriors pinned in the back court. During long rallies, Tehachapi (17-5) was forced to mirror the defensive-minded deep shots with some of its own.
Caitlin Burris helped the Warriors to a fighting chance heading into doubles, clawing to a 6-4, 6-3 win at fifth singles. Abby Croy also registered a 6-0, 6-0 win at second singles, but the Panthers shut the door sweeping the final three matches.
"It comes down to a few points, last year our No.1 player Shiloh (Gibson) had five match points in singles against Tehachapi but ended up losing," Porterville coach Kurt Nielsen said. "She was determined this year. All the girls were. We just felt like it was our turn."
Tehachapi was resilient to the end, with the No. 1 doubles of Hannah Trott and Croy coming back from a 4-0 deficit in the second set to force a 5-5 tie against Porterville's Gibson and Alisia Scudder. Trott and Croy eventually lost the set 7-6 (9-7).
"We've knocked on the door every year. But this group was mentally tough," Nielsen said. "We thought we'd be lucky to even be back in the final, but here we are. The stars just aligned for us."
Despite the heart-breaking loss, Tehachapi was able to wipe away the tears at the trophy presentation ceremony and crack some smiles for their proud parents taking photos.
"Porterville deserved it, they are well coached. It just wasn't our day," Lang said. "We have a lot of underclassmen talent returning and we'll build off this. We'll be back."
