Manteca High’s boys tennis team continued to show signs of improvement Friday, rolling past Sonora on the road, 7-2.
The fashion in which the Buffaloes won was surprising, Manteca coach Frank Fontana admits. The defending Valley Oak League champions opened the regular season with a discouraging landslide loss to still-unbeaten Kimball, but they have picked up their play since.
“Great result, one I wasn’t quite expecting,” Fontana said. “Sonora always fields a competitive team and it’s always tough to go up there and play. Next week we play Weston Ranch for sole possession of second and I wasn’t sure if we’d be in this position at the start of the season.
“We’re playing better and hopefully our form will continue.”
Manteca (5-1, 7-4 overall) nearly swept. Sonora was able to squeak out the No. 4 and 6 singles matches, with Donald Troung defeating Alex Vazquez 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 and Gardner Davis topping Spencer Jackson, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.
The rest was all Manteca. Mike Lopez was in full command in the battle of 1s, dispatching Josh Smith 6-1, 6-2. Yok-Jing Ma (6-0, 6-2), Puneet Sandhu (6-4, 6-1) and Thomas Reza (6-1, 6-0) also won in straight sets.
The doubles contests were no different. Angel Tejada and Andre Wiggins prevailed 6-4, 6-0; Nick Lopez-Ellis and Edvin Pepic triumphed 6-3, 6-1; and Gino Mercado and Daniel Rodriguez rolled, 6-2, 6-4.
“I’m still waiting for that one match where everyone puts it together,” Fontana said. “If we do that we can be a very dangerous team for the top two teams.”
Southern League
Ripon Christian 9, Waterford 0
The Ripon Christian coed tennis team picked up where it left off on Tuesday.
The Knights closed a perfect week in the Southern League with yet another 9-0 victory on Friday afternoon.
The latest victim: Waterford.
Kristi VanDiver, Stephanie Van dePol, Darren Boersma and Kyle VanVuren clinched straight-sets victories in singles action for Ripon Christian, which is 7-0 on the season and 6-0 in Southern League play.
More impressive was the play of the Knights’ four doubles teams.
The pairings of Katie Donoho/Lauren Herbert, Makenna Koslosky-Dakota Eastun, Derrick Witt-Zach Davis and Chad Kamper-Josh Donoho lost just one game in four matches.
The Knights defeated Gustine with a similar performance on Tuesday.
Trans-Valley League
Orestimba 5, Ripon 4
NEWMAN – Ripon dropped its Trans Valley League opener. The Indians received points from Shannon Wesley and Maddison Flanders singles and the tandems of Hailey Raye-Rose and Teresa Martinez and Bryce Poutrakis and Savannah Bickle in doubles.
Bulletin reporter James Burns contributed to this report.
