Pirates Advance at WSC Championships
Five members of the Pirates' men's tennis team advanced to the round of 16 at the Western State Conference Championships Friday at the VC Tennis Center. Sam Gazzera won a pair of matches while Augustin Lestelle, Bill Whitaker, Cruz Thayne and Rodrigo Perdigao all followed up first round byes with victories in the round of 32. Meanwhile, three VC doubles teams qualified for the CCCAA State Championships later this month at the Ojai Tournament.
See Updated WSC Men's Singles Brackets
See Updated WSC Men's Doubles Brackets
Five members of the Pirates' men's tennis team advanced to the round of 16 at the Western State Conference Championships Friday at the VC Tennis Center. Sam Gazzera won a pair of matches while Augustin Lestelle, Bill Whitaker, Cruz Thayne and Rodrigo Perdigao all followed up first round byes with victories in the round of 32. Meanwhile, three VC doubles teams qualified for the CCCAA State Championships later this month at the Ojai Tournament.
Gazzera won his match in the round of 64 8-0 against an opponent from Los Angeles Pierce College before defeating a foe from Victor Valley 6-1, 6-4 in the round of 32.
No. 3 seed Lestelle had a first round bye before defeating his opponent from Glendale, 6-4, 6-0, while No. 7-seed Whitaker received a bye followed by a love and love win over an opponent from Bakersfield. Thayne, the No. 8 seed, had a bye, then prevailed 6-2, 6-2 over his opponent from Bakersfield.
No. 10 Perdigao had a bye, and followed that up with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over his opponent from Bakersfield. Damon Mitchell, Florent Auteuil and Hamilton Walker each advanced with first round byes before falling in the round of 32.
In doubles play, three of the Pirates' four teams moved into the quarterfinals while the fourth remains alive in the backdraw for a chance at the state championships. The top seeded duo of Whitaker and Thayne had easy work of their round of 16 opponents, winning 8-0 over a team from Santa Barbara, moving to the quarterfinals and securing a spot in the Ojai. Lestelle and Mitchell won their round of 16 against a pair from Glendale, 8-4, while Perdigao and Walker also qualified for state with an 8-6 victory over their opponents from Santa Barbara.
Gazerra and Auteuil lost their round of 16 match to an opponent from Glendale, moving them into the backdraw with a chance at The Ojai still within reach.
Play continues at the WSC Championships on Saturday April 8 at the VC Tennis Center. The tournament concludes Friday April 14. Additionally, the Pirate men will soon find out their playoff seed, and most likely host a SoCal regional dual playoff match on Tuesday April 11.