The Vaquero Men’s Tennis Team has finished their first round of competition with a 5-2 record, and they are 2-1 to begin the second round. The team is scheduled to play against San Bernardino College in a non-league match 2 p.m. next Tuesday at Scholl Canyon Tennis Courts.
With rain being one of the biggest hindrances for the team, the Vaqueros were forced to make up their rainout matches in the first round on March 7, against L.A. Pierce College, March 10, against Citrus College, and March 11, against Allan Hancock College.
The team faced a defeat against Pierce, 1-8, but coach Bob Mackay confided that the team would do better in their next meeting, “We’ll get them in the next round,” he said.
The team took Citrus, 9-0, and Hancock, 9-0, for a topspin sweep in the last two matches of the first round, placing them in the third seed in league standings behind Pierce and Ventura.
To begin their second round of competition, the Vaqueros smashed victories over Bakersfield College and Hancock. In the match against Bakersfield, the squad repeated their first round score of 5-4 to gain the win.
Against Hancock, the team fought against the wind to gain their victory of 7-2.
“The wind was terrible. the worst I’ve probably ever seen,” said Mackay, explaining that the team was not accustomed to playing with such strong winds. “The biggest thing was getting the kids to understand that the wind blows on both sides and that they just need to get their feet moving faster than normal.”
Mackay also said that the score could have been better, but he is not upset “because at first the team was not adapted to the wind, but once they got used to it, they played much better.”
In their most recent match against Pierce on Thursday, the team fought hard to hold competition. The game completed 2-7, leaving a loss for the team.
“They were a great team,” said Mackay, “but Shara played great games.” Second year athlete Shara Surabi dusted his competition with 6-1, 6-1 wins. In his doubles match, Surabi teamed with first year athlete Gevork Kirakosian to defeat Pierce’s No.1 team of Mishael Al Bannai and Remy Salvador, 8-4, in a pro set.
“Shara is undefeated in league,” said Mackay, “He’s probably going to be awarded Player of the Year for this season.”
With matches against Bakersfield, Hancock, and Pierce played, the squad is heading toward their “home-stretch run” as Mackay puts it, meaning that only the hardest teams in league are left to play. “Other than Citrus, our schedule is going to be a tough one,” said Mackay.
With a match against a very strong San Bernardino “the next game [Tuesday] will be something to look forward to,” said Mackay.