MJC women’s tennis reaches NorCal semifinals

The match lasted more than four hours. Four of the six singles matches went three sets. The Modesto Junior College women's tennis team was spent as it motored home from Santa Rosa.

But the Pirates survived and advanced.

MJC (13-3) held on to beat Santa Rosa 5-4 Tuesday in the first round of the Northern California Team Playoffs. The Pirates will travel to Canada in next Tuesday's semifinals.

Modesto, which finished 10-2 for second place behind Fresno in the Big 8 South Conference, was seeded fifth in the playoffs. The Pirates' trip to third-seeded Santa Rosa proved satisfying, however, when Kaitlyn Mayfield, Monica Poole and Barbara Beasley all won singles matches in three sets.

Doubles victories by Parker and Vanessa Teves, and Mayfield and Poole gave Modesto the decisive points.