Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
PHS staff
ALBUQUERQUE — Portales High’s Ella Erf and Bethany Self are right where they expected to be after Friday’s play in the Class 1-3A state individual tennis tournament.
Matt Tucker and Kyle Adams are right where they hoped to be.
Erf and Self, seeded No. 1 in girls doubles, improved to 15-0 for the season with a 6-3, 6-1 win over rivals Danielle Olivas and Sarah Maker of Lovington in a quarterfinal match at Sierra Vista Tennis Complex while Tucker and Adams, seeded fourth on the boys side, won their quarterfinal against fifth-seeded Ross Arias and Kyle Sears of Sandia Prep 6-4, 6-2.
Both Portales tandems had earned a bye through the first round.
“Ella and Beth started out a little slow, but they finished strong,” PHS girls coach Michelle Wallis said. “Once they got some momentum behind them, they ran with it.”
Today’s semifinal and championship matches are scheduled for Albuquerque Academy. In the semifinals, set for 11 a.m., Erf and Self meet fifth-seeded Mara Masciotra and Sarah Short of Sandia Prep, while Tucker and Adams take on boys top-seeded Emilio Garcia and Placido Gomez of Las Vegas Robertson.
“I think Ella and Beth will have to work hard, but they’re no strangers to that,” Wallis said. “Beth is going to have to play well at the net tomorrow.”
A second Portales girls doubles entry, sophomores Kassandra Short and Tessa Bryant, were eliminated in the quarterfinals by second-seeded Allie Coleman and Casey Manzanares of Bosque 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Short and Bryant, seeded seventh, won their first-round match from Raton’s Alyssa Mares and Katy Morris 6-2, 7-6 (8-6).
Tucker and Adams, who are 4-1 after having been paired together toward the end of the season, led all the way in their quarterfinal matchup.
“I just think they’re getting better and better every match,” Rams coach Wade Fraze said. “I felt like they were in control from start to finish.
“It’ll be tough for us (against Robertson), but I feel like we can play with anybody right now.”
In boys singles, PHS senior Logan Brown dropped a first-round match to eighth-seeded Ruidoso freshman Jake Ordorica 6-4, 6-4. Ordorica then lost in the quarterfinals to top-seeded Kyle Lynch of New Mexico Military 6-2, 6-2.
Championship matches in all divisions are scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
