Sierra’s Kevin Rausa continues to roll.
But so too does Manteca High’s tennis team.
Rausa improved to 20-1 on the season with three wins Tuesday, but Manteca prevailed in the team scoring, 11-4, to advance its Valley Oak League record to 6-0 while setting up an anticipated matchup with its other crosstown rival.
East Union (5-1) hosts the Buffaloes today in a make-up match with hopes of forcing logjam atop the league standings.
Rausa hammered Manteca’s singles ladder with 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victories, and his only loss of the season came against Ceres standout Luis Ochoa — the league’s defending singles champion.
Manteca coach Frank Fontana said that seeing Rausa the day before the big match with EU gave his players a good look at what’s to come. Fontana said that Rausa combines the strengths of EU’s three singles starters.
“Kevin is a good, solid player,” Fontana said. “He’s a big hitter who gave us good preparation for what we’re going to see (today).”
The Buffaloes dominated the doubles sets. The No. 2 pair of Xavier Lopez and Marcus Munoz kept its perfect league streak alive with 10-3 and 10-1 victories, and they will square off with East Union’s undefeated No. 1 tandem of Matt Eichsteadt and Chris Garcia today.
Max Angelo and Oral Nunis also took care of business, winning 10-0 and 10-4.
“I knew that EU’s doubles were going to be good this year, so I told our guys today that we need to prep for them,” Fontana said. “I think the match could come down to the doubles.”
Alex McAdams (6-3, 6-1) and Alex Barragan (6-3, 6-2) each picked up two singles wins for Manteca. Marc Leon defeated Sierra’s Josh Wheeland 6-2 in the No. 3 match, but fell to Forest Tolman, 4-6.
“It was a nice, solid win today,” Fontana said. “We’ll see what happens tomorrow. I know EU is definitely ready to play, and I think that we are as well.”
WESTON RANCH — The Cougars (2-5) got the majority of their points in doubles play, where Mike Tongpalad and Kevin Yamayoshi ousted Ceres’ No. 2 team, 10-1. Weston Ranch’s No. 1 Jovincent and Chris Legaspi also picked up a 10-1 win against the same tandem.
Satinder Singh won two out of his three sets, 6-3 and 6-1.
Ripon Christian 9, Riverbank 0
RIPON — The Knights improved to 3-1 but were challenged in a few matches.
The No. 1 boys doubles team of Josiah Neeley and Nick Wehrli squeezed out a 10-9 (8) win over Riverbank’s Irvin Carillo and Armando Rodriguez. The No. 2 boys doubles tandem of Dan McGill and Brad Kamper and the top doubles team of Colleen Kamper and Haley Veilleux both pulled out 10-6 victories.
Also winning doubles matches were No. 2 girls Denise Dole and Victoria Vallo (10-2) and mixed doubles Mason Veilleux and Lauren Hogan (10-4).
Victors in singles play were Landon Tillema (6-2, 7-6 [2]), Jacob Meeuwse (6-3, 6-4), Katie den Dulk (6-0, 6-1) and Amanda Thatcher (6-0, 6-2).