Kats host Lobos on Monday; Cats host Lions on Tuesday
By Raymundo Frasquillo
MORENCI – The Brent Lunt-coached Safford tennis girls triumphed in Morenci, posting a 9-0 season-opening win on Feb. 27.
Around the section last week (Feb. 24 – March 1), Thatcher also prevailed 9-0 on Feb. 27 over Globe and succumbed 4-5 to Sierra Vista Buena on Feb. 28. Miami fell 0-9 to Avondale John Paul II Catholic on Feb. 26.
This week (March 3-8), Thatcher hosts Safford and Duncan hosts Patagonia on Monday, March 3; Duncan hosts Willcox, Miami hosts Apache Junction, and Morenci hosts Saint John Paul II on Tuesday, March 4; Thatcher visits Tucson Sabino on Wednesday, March 5; Benson hosts Tucson Andrada Polytechnic, Globe visits Eloy Santa Cruz, Morenci visits Tombstone, and Thatcher hosts Chandler Prep on Thursday, March 6; Globe visits Coolidge, Willcox visits Tucson Tanque Verde, and Safford hosts a round robin tourney on Friday, March 7; and Duncan hosts the H.T. Clothier Invitational on Saturday, March 8.
Division III – Section I standings
The section standings as of March 1 are Thatcher (1-1 seeding, 1-0 section) first, Safford (1-0, 0-0) second, Globe (0-1, 0-1) third, Miami (0-1, 0-0) fourth, and Morenci (0-1, 0-0) fifth.
Benson (0-0, 0-0), Duncan (0-0, 0-0), Pima (0-0, 0-0), and Willcox (0-0, 0-0) have yet to play.
Buena – 5, Thatcher – 4
The Eagles triumphed during the No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6 singles along with the No. 3 doubles while the Colts were victorious during the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 singles as well as the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles.
In singles, senior Audrey Smith defeated junior Annette Rice (6-2, 6-0), sophomore Sarah Sampson topped senior Autumn Young (6-1 twice), and senior Cambria Wakefield downed freshman Caroline Seamans (6-0, 6-1).
The Sarah Sampson – Wakefield duo topped Young – Seamans 8-3.
For Buena, it was junior Sara Putz over junior Sophia Haynie (6-0, 6-1), senior Michelle Moreno Jimenez over senior Kayla Turley (6-4, 1-6, 10-4), and junior Jael Holmes over senior Emily Sampson (2-6, 7-5, 10-8) in singles along with Jimenez – Putz over Haynie – Emily Sampson (8-6) and Holmes – Rice over seniors Kaya Turley – Audrey Smith (8-6) in doubles.
Safford – 9, Morenci – 0
The Bulldogs used their experience to post a shutout over the less experienced Wildcats, winning all nine pairings.
Sophomore Iris Green, senior Charlotte Graham, senior Lexi Neal, junior Tarnutzer, junior Kimber Taylor, and sophomore Amanda Neal defeated junior Ariza Espinoza (6-2, 6-0), junior Izzalana Gobert (6-1, 2-6, 10-4), junior Alannah Suarez (6-0, 6- 4), sophomore Adriana Dorame Galindo (6-4 twice), sophomore Alanna Demieville (6-3, 6-2), and sophomore Daisy Dia (6-2, 6-4), respectively, in singles.
In doubles, Green – Taylor, Lexi Neal – Tarnutzer, and Graham – Amanda Neal defeated Espinoza – Gobert (8-5), Suarez – Demieville (8-6), and Galindo – Dia (8-3), respectively.
Thatcher – 9, Globe – 0
The Eagles posted identical 6-0 and 6-0 singles scores through six pairings as well as 8-0 scores twice in doubles versus the Tigers.
It was Haynie over sophomore Teairsa Ellis, Turley over junior Evelyn Parker, Emily Sampson over sophomore Olivia Graham, Smith over junior Cheyenne Lawrie, Sarah Sampson over junior Milynn Allinson, and Wakefield over freshman Liza Shank in singles.
The Haynie – Emily Sampson and Turley – Smith duos blanked Ellis – Parker and Graham – Lawrie by identical scores, respectively, while Sarah Sampson – Wakefield slipped past Allinson – Shank (1-0).
Saint John Paul II – 9, Miami – 0
The Vandals forfeited two singles and one doubles pairings to the Lions.
Freshman Ania Piatek, freshman Dominika Grabiec, senior Natalia Piatek, and sophomore Chantelle Gleaves defeated junior Adrina Kaulaity (6-0, 6-1), junior Daisy Pacheco (6-0, 6-1), junior Alexis Moody (6-2, 5-2), and freshman Evelyn Ramos (6-0 twice).
In doubles, Ania Piatek-Grabiec and Natalia Piatek-Frankowski defeated Kaulaity-Pacheco (8-1) and Moody-Ramos (8-0), respectively.
Sophomore Izabella Frankowski and junior Eva Wohler were awarded forfeit wins in singles as were Gleaves – sophomore Samaira Schieffer in doubles.
