Women's Tennis Finishes Strong Placing Second in Big 8 and NorCal Playoffs

It was an impressive season for the Sierra College women's tennis team as they placed second in the Big 8 Conference and also came second in Northern California, losing only to American River, a team who ended up winning the state title. 

The Wolverines took down San Francisco and Shasta in non-league competition and beat Folsom Lake and Diablo Valley twice 9-0. They also beat Sacramento City 8-1 and won two close matches against Modesto 6-3 and 5-4. 

Their solid regular season record of 8-2 put Sierra into the NorCal playoffs where they took down Foothill 5-0 in the first round before beating Modesto for the third time, winning 5-2. After losing their prior two contests 6-3 and 7-2, the Wolverines were unable to outlast the Beavers, falling 5-0 to ARC on April 20. 

"In the NorCal playoffs, we had some challenging matches against Foothill and Modesto," Sierra interim head coach Janelle Perez said. "We all knew how hard our team had trained and practiced throughout the fall and spring and we went into this match with the mentality to do what we trained to do and leave everything out on those courts. Our team went out and performed to the best of their abilities and we were able to win those matches. We had a tough loss against a great ARC team in the finals, but as a team we are proud of our second place finish in Northern California."

Despite the loss, Sierra still had the individual state championships for singles and doubles from April 25 to April 28. Rylie Maloney won two matches and made it to the Round of 16 in singles while Hannah Busenbark made it to the Round of 32. In doubles, the team of Maloney and Erin Johnson won two matches and went all the way to the Round of 16 while Busenbark and Jenna Ferreira made it to the Round of 32.

"With this being my first year at Sierra, this team taught me a lot and will always be near and dear to my heart," Perez said. "These strong women proved they could compete with the best of the best in junior college tennis. We also had an amazing camaraderie as a team, always having fun and having a team-first attitude. Our bond was able to weather tough situations and we could always find a way to build each other up and make each other laugh. Whether it was carving pumpkins or going to a meal, we did things together as a team and I'm so proud of these women and how they have all grown as people. I feel confident that the sophomores who are moving on are all well prepared for what is next for them. And next year, we'll be back, and strong as ever!"

Other Lady Wolverines who competed this season include: Neeka Abadi, Sydney MacIsaac, Ella Muraff, Nyah Pineda, Chloe Sattelberg and Katelyn Seivert.