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Esperanza Takes the Extra Step

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Esperanza advanced to its first Southern Section boys’ tennis quarterfinal in nine years with an 11-7 victory at Aliso Niguel Thursday. The celebration will be short-lived, because the Aztecs’ next opponent is defending Division I champion Palos Verdes Peninsula, seeded second this year.

“We’ll have a small goal against them,” Esperanza Coach Keri Wood said. “If we can get four or five sets, we’ll be happy.”

The Aztecs met most of their goals this season--winning 18 games, finishing second in the Sunset League to Los Alamitos and reaching the quarterfinals.

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“It’s quite an accomplishment for these guys,” Wood said. “They’ve worked hard all season. They deserve it.”

For a few minutes Thursday, it looked like Esperanza might not attain its last goal. Aliso Niguel (12-8) fell behind, 4-1 and 6-3, but tied the match at 7-7 midway through the final round. But the Aztecs’ No. 2 doubles team, Vince Gonzalez and Kevin Chung, beat Conrad Turlik and Sean Cummings, 6-4, and No. 1 singles player Nick Smith defeated Brian Kelly, 6-1, to give Esperanza nine sets and an insurmountable lead in games.

“We’d have liked to have made it a little more interesting,” Aliso Niguel Coach Art Jenkins said. “I thought their doubles played well and that’s where our strength is.”

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Esperanza’s doubles teams won four of nine sets. Scott Lloyd and Daniel Ikuta won two at No. 1 doubles, and Gonzalez and Chang and Greg Buie and Ryan Teng took one set each. In singles, Andrew Manson and Marco DiAddezio swept.

The Aztecs have lost only three times--twice to top-seeded Los Alamitos and once to Canyon, the fourth-seeded team in Division III--but were not ranked in the section polls or in Orange County.

“We’re kind of a sleeper team,” Wood said. “No one knows exactly how tough we are. Hopefully this will put us on the board.”

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