Rams Once Again Sit Atop the Tri-Valley League Individual Tournament
October 24, 2024
After two days of Tri-Valley League Tournament match-play, Cate has come out with the league individuals titles in both singles and doubles, punctuating their clean sweep of TVL dual-match play.
Ivy Huang ’28 became the second-consecutive Cate freshman to win the singles league title, following in teammate Lisa Hasebe’s footsteps. Huang failed to drop a single game in her quarterfinal and semifinal matches, but was made to work for the title by Laguna Blanca senior Caroline Kenny. Kenny came into the tournament the #2-seed, by virtue of her 17-4 league record (with all 4 losses coming against Cate opponents).
The first set of the singles final was fairly even in the early-going, with Huang separating herself from Kenny through effective use of change-of-pace and ball-height. Kenny re-grouped after losing the first set 6-3 to take a 3-1 lead in the second set, using her powerful ground-game to put Huang on the back foot. Huang countered with a burst of intensity, that saw her draw the match even at 3-3, and then pull a head, finally taking the second set 6-4.
In doubles, last year’s TVL singles champion Lisa Hasebe ’27 paired with freshman standout Jade Wang ’28 to win in dominant fashion. While there were many close games, the foothill team of seniors Julia Geib and Vivian Ryan were unable to overcome strong play from Hasebe and Wang in the crucial game-points. The Cate pair eventually won the match 6-3, 6-2 for the TVL Doubles League Championship.
In the singles match for 3rd place, Laguna Blanca freshman Hali Wight took a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Villanova sophomore Amanda Poon.
The doubles 3rd place match was won convincingl
y (6-1, 6-3) by Cate pairing Colette Chang ’25 and Reyna Takahashi ’27, who had finished runner-up in 2023. The pair were a key part of Cate’s CIF D3 Championship run and will look to take this momentum into the 2024 CIF team playoffs.
Cate now awaits playoff division placement, before beginning playoff match-play on Wednesday, November 6th. Huang, Hasebe, and Wang with then compete in the CIF Regional Individuals event hosted by Cate and Carpinteria High on Monday, November 25th.