Cats notch victory in tennis season opener 5-4

LOVINGTON – Clovis High’s tennis teams kicked off the 2023 campaign with a split on Tuesday, the boys edging Lovington 5-4 while the girls absorbed a 7-2 setback.

The Wildcats went 4-2 in singles, with all the matches decided in straight sets except for a 7-5, 1-6, 6-2 victory for Lovington sophomore Rey Salcido over junior Drex Carter at No. 4. Meantime, the teams split three-setters at Nos. 1 and 2 doubles, while Carter and fellow junior Christopher Oaks came away with a 6-0, 6-4 win at No. 3 over sophomores Eduardo Sigala and Hector Burciaga.

“I saw a lot of growth from last year,” Cats coach Tristan Pautler said of his squad. “We have five returning players, and they’ve all moved up the ladder.”

He cited senior Gerald Gonzales, who won his No. 2 singles match and teamed with senior David Case for a come-from-behind, three-set victory at No. 1 doubles.

“I think Gerald Gonzales took what I’ve been telling him and put it to use,” Pautler said.

Meantime, the Lady Wildcats had a bit of a rough outing. Their only wins came from senior Niliyaah Hall at No. 1 singles, a 6-2, 6-4 decision over senior Celeste Perez, and from Hall and sophomore Hansini Lingala at No. 1 doubles, with a straight-sets win over senior Victoria Leyva and freshman Diana Gonzalez that included a second-set tiebreaker.

“I like our enthusiasm and our willingness to work hard,” CHS girls coach Rylie Garza said. “I think we’re going to be good as the season goes on. This was a good experience for us.”

The Cats and Lady Cats were to return to action this weekend in the Carlsbad Invitational. They will then be idle until opening their home schedule against Portales on March 7.