By Fred Altieri
Observer Reporter
Game, set, match. The 2014 Culver City High girls tennis team won its season home-opener, 11-7 on Tuesday, September 9, against Windward School, an emerging local private school athletic rival.
The win didn’t come as easily as expected but the Centaurs evened their season won-lost record after falling in the season opener at Torrance High last Thursday.
Leading the way for the Centaurs was Danielle Garrido, who demonstrated why she is one of the elite junior tennis players in Southern California.
Head coach Phil Rothenberg on his number one seeded senior: “Danielle played two sets and easily won each of them, 6-0 and 6-0. Even more noteworthy is that she won 48 of the 50 points she and her opponent played in both sets.”
The Culver girls secured seven of their total sets in singles play. Lada Goetzke took three sets against the visiting Wildcats but in very close matches.
Coach Rothenberg noted the team’s singles contributions: “Lada, a senior, didn’t play her best tennis but managed to win all three sets, two of them in tie-breakers. Sophomores Lydia Ko and Kiara Embrey each won the only set in singles they played.”
In doubles competition the Centaurs didn’t fare as well. The
Culver coach saw room for improvement in that department: “Our doubles teams struggled a bit. We only won four of nine sets. But two of our wins went to seniors Rachel Gonzales and Kira Furuiche, our number one doubles team.
“Our doubles play must become more consistent if we are to beat stronger teams such as against our rematch at home with Torrance this coming Thursday. We lost to Torrance away last week 12-6 in a match we easily could have won.”
The match scheduled last Friday at home vs. Venice High was postponed. Besides the match this Thursday against Torrance the girls tennis schedule for the rest of September is: Sept. 16 at Lynwood, Sept. 18 vs. Paramount, Sept. 23 vs. North Torrance, Sept. 25 at North Torrance, and Sept. 30 at Redondo.
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