Aptos High’s girls tennis team had a tough match against Santa Catalina in the first round of the Central Coast Section Team Tournament. Despite winning three of the four singles matches, the Mariners were unable to secure a victory as they were swept in doubles action. The match took place on a rainy Monday at Seascape Sport Club. Aptos High, the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League champion, had a successful season with an overall record of 8-3, including a perfect 8-0 record in league play. On the other hand, Santa Catalina, the third-place finisher in the Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division, came out on top with a 4-3 win. They will now face Evergreen Valley in the second round of the tournament. Despite the loss, Aptos High’s head coach, Tamara Brown, expressed pride in her team’s performance, not just as tennis players, but also as kind and supportive individuals. The coach and her assistant, Sam Brown, even squeegeed the courts in the morning to prepare for the match. However, their efforts were in vain as it started raining again shortly after. They had to repeat the process in the afternoon, and the match was briefly delayed due to a sprinkle. Tamara Brown jokingly mentioned that squeegeeing is a total body workout, especially when done for four hours in a day. Ally Yoshiyama of Santa Catalina sealed the victory with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Aptos High’s Coral Collins in the third singles match. In the other singles matches, Holly Hegna, Tiana Smith, and Aviana Andrews of Aptos High emerged victorious. The doubles matches, however, were dominated by Santa Catalina, with Gaby Salazar and Averie Nguyen, Maya Touché and Sofia Gutierrez, and Ava Kruger and Chloe Thompson securing wins. Despite the loss, three Aptos High players still have upcoming matches. Tiana Smith will face Varsha Jawadi of Aragon in the first round of the CCS Singles Championship, while Holly Hegna and Coral Collins will compete in the CCS Doubles Championship against Gia Panetta and Alyssa Moore of Carmel. The Aptos High team had a great season, and they are looking forward to their future matches.