Bobcats outclaw Tigers

The Saddleback women's tennis team improved to 6-0 with a 6-3 win against Riverside City College on Thursday at the Saddleback Tennis Complex.  The Bobcats remain in a tie for first place in the Orange Empire Conference.

Saddleback and Riverside battled into the night, with a couple of matches going to a third set in singles play before the Bobcats were declared the winner.

Saddleback took a 2-1 lead in doubles play as both teams battled for every point and all three matches were close.  The Bobcats took a 1-0 lead on court one when Sydney Grove and Ainsley Beresford pounded out an 8-4 victory.  The other two matches were much closer, with Saddleback winning on court three when Emily West and Kavelle Tomaiko outlasted their opponents for a 7-3 win in a tiebreaker. 

Saddleback extended lead in singles play, with Dorothea Amadin winning on court five (6-0, 6-1) and Grove winning on court one (6-2, 6-4) for a 4-1 advantage.  Riverside bounced back to win on courts No. 3 and No. 4 to narrow the Saddleback lead to 4-3.  The Bobcats then ended the suspense on court two when Beresford came from behind to defeat her opponent 4-6, 6-0, 6-4.  Saddleback then picked up and extra point on court six when West won in three sets (4-6, 6-6 (7-5), 6-0).

Saddleback is now 6-0 for the first time since the program went 18-0 in winning the state title in 2010.  The Bobcats will play at Orange Coast College next Tuesday with first place on the line in Orange Empire Conference play.  Saddleback and Orange Coast are scheduled to start at 2:00 PM in Costa Mesa.