Troy Battles Through First Round

Troy got a first-round wake-up call Tuesday in the Southern Section Division II boys’ tennis playoffs.

With only three sets left against San Clemente, the fourth-seeded and undefeated Warriors found themselves adding up the total game points to see if they, or San Clemente, had the edge if the match ended in a tie.

In the end, however, it didn’t matter because Troy (23-0) held on to defeat the visiting Tritons, 11-7.

“It was a lot closer than our team suspected it would be,” Troy Coach George Vallance said. “[San Clemente] really surprised us. But, this was a great first-round match for us. Now the guys know they can’t overlook anyone.”

San Clemente (11-7), making its first playoff appearance in eight years, was the third-place representative from the South Coast League, finishing behind No. 4 Capistrano Valley and No. 7 Dana Hills.

“They may have been the third-place team, but that’s from a very strong league,” Vallance said.

“They came out strong and played really well. Their singles matched up really well against us.”

Freshman Jeff Das, who was ill for several days prior to the match, scored three of Troy’s four singles points, winning 6-1, 6-2, 6-3. Jennings Long earned the Warriors’ other point.

Long, a freshman, put up a strong fight against San Clemente’s top player, junior Brian Manning, but lost in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-3). Against Pete Aceves in the second round, Long led 5-4, but Aceves rallied, taking the next three games to win, 7-5. In the final round, Long redeemed himself, defeating Alex Kerhulas, 6-3.

“He is such a tough fighter,” Vallance said. “For him to have to face their top player in the first round was tough, but he didn’t give up. I’m really proud of him.”