MARAUDERS ADVANCE TWO DOUBLES TEAMS TO STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Although singles play at the Western State Conference Tournament did not go as planned for the Marauders, with Sydney Bush, Naia Smithley, and Julie Tejeda all being defeated, doubles play was successful as Bush/Smithley and Padilla/Tejeda won their team matches, and qualified for the State Championships.

Sydney Bush and Naia Smithley began play in the doubles round of 16 after receiving a first-round bye. Playing an eight-game pro set, they were on the verge of losing, down 3-7. They then won four straight games to tie the set at 7-7. After dropping the next game, they again faced a loss as they fell behind 7-8, but they would fight back and tie the set at 8, sending the match to a deciding 7-point tiebreak. Bush and Smithley took control early and won the tiebreak 7-2. They advanced to the doubles quarterfinals and qualified for the State Championships.

"The hard part about the conference tournament is that the season will end for some of the ladies. The good part is that if things go well, others will have the opportunity to qualify for the State Championships," stated head coach Justin Webb. "Naia and Sydney were on the edge in doubles but kept fighting point by point for a hard-earned victory which qualified them for the State Championships...that one match really personified everything we are about as a program," Webb added.

In more doubles action, JulieTejeda partnered with Nicole Padilla to advance to the round of 16 with an 8-3 victory. Although Padilla and Tejeda lost in the round of 16 8-1, they advanced far enough in the tournament to qualify for the doubles back draw and still have the opportunity to qualify for the State Championships. With the next opportunity, they did just that as Nicole Padilla and Julie Tejeda won their match 8-5 to qualify.

Coach Webb noted, "First, I am so proud of all our ladies for how hard they competed this weekend. Nicole and Julie have really been coming together as a doubles team and playing good tennis. Today as they got closer to winning and qualifying for the State Championships, their play reflected their desire to do so. I'm very happy for them."

The two teams will compete in the CCCAA State Championships, which are a part of the 121st Ojai Tennis Tournament on April 26-30, 2023.