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MANTECA TOPS TWOLVES
Aniss downs Rausa to lead Buffs past Sierra
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Kevin Rausa returns a volley during his match with Yassen Aniss. - photo by BRANDON PETERSEN
Playing a home match on the road once again, Sierra fell to the Buffaloes, 5-0, Tuesday afternoon at Manteca High.

Sierra was forced to forfeit out of the three-seed match due to a lack of players, and while the doubles matches favored the seasoned Buffs, the two singles matches were both close affairs.

In the No. 1 match, Manteca’s Yassen Aniss earned a hard-fought victory over Kevin Rausa, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

“I was pleased with Kevin, I thought he did a great job,” Sierra head coach Arabella Whitlock said. “Yassen is an amazing defensive player, but Kevin played extremely well.”

Whitlock was also pleased with Doug Marks, who fell to Alex McAdams, 3-6, 6-4, 1-6.

“Kevin did well,” Whitlock said. “But I have seen him play a little stronger, he wasn’t completely on today.”

Said Manteca head coach Frank Fontana: “It was a pretty competitive match, especially in the singles. (Rausa and Marks) played very well; I was quite impressed with them.”

In doubles play, Arnie Morales and Alex Barragan downed Daniel Prieto and Josh Weiland 6-1, 6-2, and Kyle Morton and Max Angelo topped John Alan Hewitt and Forrest Tolman, 6-2, 6-1.

“I’m always impressed with Manteca,” Whitlock said. “They are a bunch of nice kids and I appreciate their attitude.”

Sierra hosts the Lancers at East Union Thursday to wrap the regular season.

Manteca, meanwhile will head to Sonora to face the league champions, who clinched the crown Tuesday with a 4-1 win over Ceres.

If Manteca beats the Wildcats to finish 12-2 overall, Manteca is headed to the postseason.

If the Buffaloes lose in Sonora and Oakdale tops Ceres, Manteca and the Mustangs will be tied for second place and a tiebreaker scenario would determine the VOL’s second playoff entrant.

— Brandon Petersen