PREP TENNIS ROUNDUP : Western Girls Edge Los Amigos to Advance

Freshman Debbie Jethva swept her singles matches and Lisa Cunningham and Brenda Gravell swept in doubles, helping Western edge Los Amigos, 10-8, in a Southern Section Division IV girls’ tennis qualification match Tuesday at Western High School.

The victory advanced the Pioneers (15-5), the Orange League’s No. 3 team, to the first round of the playoffs Thursday. They will play at San Jacinto (16-1), the Skyline League champion. Los Amigos, the Garden Grove League’s No. 3 team, finishes its season 12-8.

Jethva, the Pioneers’ No. 1 singles player, defeated the Lobos’ Dao Truong, 6-2, Kari Nguyen, 6-4, and Bele Nguyen, 6-1. The Pioneers also won seven of nine doubles matches to offset the Lobos’ overall advantage in singles.

“We’re not too fancy, but we get the job done,” said Western Coach Jane Shepphird. “Our theory all year has been to have our No. 1 singles (player) win at least two matches and our doubles team to bring in most of our points.”

Leading the Pioneers was Cunningham and Gravell, their No. 1 doubles team. The duo defeated the Lobos’ Cathy Nguyen and Helen Kim, 6-3, Yee Luu and Ly Ly Tran, 6-1, and Cecelia Hoang and Lan Ahn Hoang, 6-2.

Los Amigos was led by Bele Nguyen and Kari Nguyen, who swept their singles matches.