The Turlock High boys tennis team is a perfect 5-0 in the Central California Conference after shutting out Pitman at their home courts on Tuesday afternoon, 9-0.
“Turlock High players should be commended for playing excellent tennis,” said Pitman head coach Doug Reimers.
“What makes this interesting is that it's our first 9-0 of the season and we didn't even have our number one guy,” said Turlock head coach Jack Schneider of missing Davis Griffin.
The number one singles player on Tuesday was Alex Lima, who defeated Jeremy Moitoso of Pitman in straight sets, 6-2 and 6-1.
Despite strong winds, the Bulldogs of Turlock took full advantage of their opportunities from their singles players to the doubles teams.
“It was tough conditions with the wind,” Schneider said. “It was blowing pretty hard and it's a great equalizer at times though. Top players lose on windy days because the ball gets less precision on precise players, so you need to be more conservative.”
The Bulldogs had no problem playing nearly flawlessly in all aspects, taking six of the nine matches in straight sets..
Marco Andres, the Bulldogs' number two singles player defeated Devan Jantz in straight sets, 6-4 and 6-1.
By the time the doubles had taken the courts, the Bulldogs were well on their way to a win but the doubles side just swept through the Pride, securing the victory and bragging rights until their next matchup on April 23.
“All convincing three win sets. All were mental wins as well, combination with that and dealing with the situations we have,” said Schneider of his doubles team.
Turlock's number three and four singles players in David Lazar and Ryan Asai had a tougher time but still came through with the win in three.
Turlock will take on the second place Merced Bears at home at 3 p.m. April 14.
“If it comes down to skill it could be tough with Merced, but if it comes down to coaching I feel confident I can out coach them,” Schneider said. “I want to win six or seven if we can to make a statement. They tried to intimidate our guys, but I told them to deal with it on the court.”
Pitman will host Golden Valley High at 3 p.m. Thursday.
