Manteca High’s anticipated Valley Oak League rematch with first-place Kimball wasn’t much closer in the final outcome, but it was far more competitive.

Kimball of Tracy outpointed the reigning league champion Buffaloes 7-2 Thursday at the Manteca Regional Tennis Center.

Manteca coach Frank Fontana came away encouraged, however. In the VOL opener, the Jaguars (8-0) routed his team 8-1 and most of the matches weren’t close.

“This was probably one our better matches against one of the top teams in the league,” Fontana said. “I was glad to see our guys compete because they beat us pretty bad the first time. We’re improving and hopefully this was another match that we can learn from.”

Spencer Jackson accounted for Manteca’s lone point at singles, defeating Baye Kuumba 6-4, 7-5 in the No. 6 match. The Buffaloes (5-3 VOL, 8-5 overall) also won at No. 3 doubles, where Daniel Rodriguez and Gino Mercado prevailed over Nick Nguyen and Joshua Linsanger 6-3, 6-3.

Angel Tejada and Andre Wiggins narrowly dropped the No. 1 doubles point. They squeaked out a one-set lead before falling to Ingel Salgarino and Paul de Supinski 7-6, 6-2, 7-10. Manteca lost another three-set heartbreaker in No. 4 singles, with Kimball’s Ivan Acosta dispatching Alex Vazquez 2-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Fontana said the No. 5 singles and No. 2 doubles contests were also competitive despite them finishing in straight sets. Kimball standout Logan Staggs, one of the nation’s top juniors, blanked 2012 VOL Tournament runner-up Mike Lopez 6-0, 6-0.