Photo by Monique Schoenfeld, Town Crier
St. Francis High tennis players Steven Guerry, above, and Travis Richards, below, each posted straight-set wins last week against Mitty. The Lancers are undefeated in league play this year.
Town Crier Staff Writer
The St. Francis High boys tennis team hit the midway point of its season last week and so far, so good.
The Lancers, who are on spring break this week, sit atop the West Catholic Athletic League at 8-0 and have compiled a 13-1 overall record.
Coach Gary Dinneen is pleased with what his team has accomplished, but he doesn't want his players to get complacent.
"We've got to keep pushing through the second half of league," said Dinneen, in his 14th year as coach. "I'm real proud of the effort - we're off to a great start so far - and hopefully we'll be there when it matters."
When it matters is next month's Central Coast Section playoffs. And senior Vincent Tsai, one of St. Francis' four team captains, is confident the Lancers will thrive in the postseason.
"We expect to finish second in CCS to Monta Vista in Division II," said Tsai, who plays at No. 4 singles. "I'm pretty sure we can take care of most of the teams, but Monta Vista beat us pretty badly this year."
The undefeated Matadors handed St. Francis its lone loss, a 6-1 non-league decision March 10 at Cuesta Park in Mountain View.
By design, the Lancers have played one of the toughest non-league schedules in the section this season.
"The schedule should help prepare us for the postseason," Tsai said. "Our league doesn't really do that because there's not much competition other than Bellarmine."
The Lancers have breezed by all their WCAL opponents except for rival Bellarmine, who they edged 4-3 March 16 at home. The two teams will meet again April 15 in San Jose.
St. Francis' other league matches have been ridiculously easy. Take last week, for example, when the Lancers beat both Sacred Heart Cathedral and Mitty by 7-0 scores.
Tsai said experience has a lot to do with St. Francis' success. The 12-man squad boasts six seniors and four juniors.
However, the team's top player is sophomore Ngon Huyhn, who's built up a 12-2 record.
"Ngon plays a lot and he expects to be one of the top 10 players in NorCal," Tsai said. "The rest of the singles players are really even and we can all beat each other."
The next three singles players are all seniors: Steven Guerry (11-4), Travis Richards (12-4) and Tsai (11-3).
The top doubles team is made up of senior R.J. Bates and freshman Rohin Das, who are 13-3 together.
The Lancers return to the court next Tuesday against league foe Riordan. That match is set for 2:45 p.m. at Cuesta.