Watsonville’s Kristina Hernandez returns a shot Tuesday during her No. 2 doubles match against Monterey. The Wildcatz won the match 5-2.

WATSONVILLE — Watsonville High’s girls tennis coach, Tony Navarro, cancelled his team’s game Monday against Aptos to make sure his team would be sharp Tuesday. They didn’t disappoint.

The Wildcatz used their strongest weapon — their depth at doubles — and beat visiting Monterey High 5-2 to move into a first-place tie with the Toreadores in the Monterey Bay League.

“It’s exciting,” Kristina Hernandez, who plays No. 2 doubles, said. “This is my first year, and they had mentioned how important this (match) was, so I was nervous today. But we did really good. I’m happy.”

The Wildcatz have never won a league championship in girls tennis before. The last time any team from Watsonville High won a tennis crown was 1964, when the boys team — featuring Roland Hedgepeth, now the boys soccer coach — won the title.

“Our kids, coming in, had the best practice of the year,” Navarro said. “It was so intense. I was feeling really good about today, and I felt that they could do it.”

Monterey and Watsonville will play once more this season, Oct. 23 at Monterey. Assuming both teams win out (neither team has dropped a game against any other team from the MBL so far), the winner of that contest will win the league.

“The title’s up for grabs now,” Navarro said. “It’s pretty exciting.”

Monterey beat Watsonville 5-2 in the teams’ first meeting earlier this year.

On Tuesday, the Wildcatz relied on their doubles pairs, as the teams split the four singles matches. Mariella Llamas defeated Jordan Litenegger 6-3, 6-2 at No. 3 singles, and Lisette Martinez topped Julia Lin 6-1, 6-0.

Hernandez and partner Karina Vega won their match at No. 2 doubles 6-2, 6-0 to secure the win for Watsonville. Jessica Cortez and Julia Gagne, the No.1 team, won 6-4, 6-3 to remain unbeaten all season, and Andria Rodriguez and Jill Bally — batterymates during the softball season — won 6-2, 6-3 at No. 3 singles.

Many of the players on this year’s team had never picked up a tennis racket before the season began. But Navarro targeted athletes from other sports — softball, volleyball, basketball — and urged them to try out for the team.

“I never payed attention to the tennis team before this year,” Hernandez, another softball player, said. “But now I’m excited to be a part of it.”



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(Published on Oct. 8, 2008)

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Photo by I.A. Stewart/Register-Pajaronian

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