CHS, PHS qualify five girls for state tennis

HOBBS – Clovis High’s girls are sending three players to Class 5A state tennis competition, scheduled for today and Thursday at Jerry Cline Tennis Center in Albuquerque.

Junior Hansini Lingala will represent the Lady Wildcats in singles after finishing second in Friday’s District 4-5A tournament, while senior Hannah Heath and junior Madita Ewert won the district tournament in doubles.

Lingala will take on third-seeded senior Ellise Jay of Mayfield in her first-round match at 3 p.m. The winner moves on to the 7 p.m. quarterfinals against either sophomore Sophia Lopez of Rio Grande or sixth-seeded junior Varinn Sood of La Cueva.

Heath and Ewert play Santa Fe High juniors Avah Trujillo and Erica Tian at 3 p.m., with the winner facing either juniors Natalie Vega and Julianna Lopez of Hobbs or fourth-seeded senior Yasmin Verastegue and sophomore Carmen Valentino of Santa Fe High at 6 p.m.

Semifinals and finals are slated for Thursday at Jerry Cline Tennis Center, with singles semis at 10:30 a.m. and the third-place and championship matches at 2 p.m. and doubles semis at 9 a.m. and third-place and finals at noon.

Portales qualified senior Lorena Fernandez and sophomore Belia Lopez in doubles competition after they finished third in the District 4-1/4A meet on Saturday at Lovington, defeating junior Anahi Lujan and sophomore Abigail Palma of Roswell Goddard in the third-place match.

Their first-round opponents today are sophomores Olivia Suazo and Kaydence Arrey of Espanola Valley at 3 p.m. at Albuquerque Academy. A win would send them into a 6:30 p.m. quarterfinal clash against either seniors Cameron Sowers and Tiana Sanchez of Miyamura or freshman Rhys Harvey and eighth-grader Hannah Kaufman of Santa Fe Prep.

Semifinals and finals will be played on Thursday at Jerry Cline, with the times the same as for the 5A tourney.