Burroughs Breaks Away From Hart After 9-9 Tie

The similarities between the girls’ tennis teams at Burroughs and Hart high schools are plentiful.

Both entered Tuesday’s match undefeated in Foothill League play. Both have highly ranked singles players that have yet to be challenged in league play. Both wear red-and-white uniforms and both are nicknamed the Indians.

So it was only fitting that after playing a match filled with playoff-like intensity, a 9-9 tie resulted.

Based on the Southern Section tiebreaker, Burroughs was declared the winner with an 80-67 edge in games.

Burroughs (10-2, 5-0 in league play) moves into sole possession of first place with one more match to come against Hart (5-5, 4-1).

“We figured we would probably be counting games afterward,” said Burroughs Coach Roy Bernhardt, who calmly joked with Hart Coach Steve Love beforehand but nervously paced at courtside during the match.

Tanya Fernley and Michelle Hildreth, promoted from the junior varsity on Monday, played No. 3 doubles for Burroughs. They lost all of their sets but Bernhardt said the 10 games they won were the key.

“They thought they were losers all day,” Bernhardt said. “But they got games. They did their job.”

Danette Romero and Jenny Wooldridge swept their sets at No. 1 doubles for Burroughs by three 6-2 scores.

Hart freshman Jieun Jacobs, playing No. 1 singles, won her sets 6-0, 6-4, and 6-2.

This was the first real test in the Foothill League for Jacobs, who lost just two games in 12 sets during league play entering this match.

No. 1 Christina Irinco and No. 2 Shaland Romero of Burroughs had not lost Foothill League sets in two seasons, but still took nothing for granted.

“It was always in doubt,” said Irinco. “We’ve had things secured for two years now, but we don’t come out here thinking we have anything.”

Added Romero: “We were undefeated in two years. But we knew it was going to be very tight.

The most exciting match of the day was Jacobs’ 6-4 victory over Romero.

Jacobs broke Romero’s serve to go ahead, 2-1, then used her own serve to dominate the rest of the set. Jacobs lost just five points in games she served against Romero.

Irinco and Romero each won their remaining sets by a combined score of 24-2, a margin that proved to be crucial in deciding the match in favor of Burroughs.

Hart won six of its points in doubles, but Love would have liked more.

“I was hoping we could get one more [point] in doubles,” he said. “But I’m very, very proud of the way we played. The girls gave everything.”