Huntington Beach girls’ tennis duo falls in CIF Individuals semifinals
The Mater Dei High girls’ tennis duo of Haley Tran and Chloe Vu started quick Thursday morning, as one might expect of the top seeded-team in the CIF Southern Section Individuals tournament.
Huntington Beach’s sister duo of senior Yen Nhi Huynh-Nguyen and junior Le Nhi Huynh-Nguyen struggled to keep up in the doubles semifinal match, at least at first. Mater Dei rattled off the first four games of the match.
“It was going so fast at first, and we were just trying to slow it down,” Yen Nhi said. “But there’s only so much you can slow it down.”
The Oilers sisters exited the tournament after their 6-2, 6-1 semifinal loss at Biszantz Family Tennis Center in Claremont.
Tran and Vu went on to beat Mater Dei teammates Athena Wardy and Olivia Mlouk in three sets in the CIF Individuals doubles title match. It’s the second straight Individuals doubles crown for Vu, a senior.
Huntington Beach’s sisters were vying to become the first doubles team in school history to make a CIF final. After Yen Nhi and Le Nhi Huynh-Nguyen lost the first semifinal set to Tran and Vu by a 6-2 score, they tried to get some momentum.
Yen Nhi held serve to open the second set, and then Vu fell in a 15-40 hole on her serve in the second game. But she rallied to hold serve, then Le Nhi’s serve was broken. The Monarchs pairing seized the momentum, winning the last six games of the match.
It was still the conclusion of a successful season for Yen Nhi and Le Nhi, the Surf League doubles champions who helped the Oilers reach the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
“It was a privilege this year to watch them,” Huntington Beach coach Jill Muranaka said. “The fact that they’re playing together, they’ll always have this memory. I’m just happy they put their best foot forward and they kept it positive.”
Yen Nhi Huynh-Nguyen capped a sparkling four-year varsity career that included CIF Individuals quarterfinal appearances as a sophomore and junior. She said she enjoyed the team environment that high school tennis presented.
“The program lets me take a step back to see tennis as more of a team sport than just individuals,” she said. “It’s more stressful, in terms of you’re not just playing for yourself, you’re playing for someone else as well. There’s someone else depending on you, but it takes away from the stress when they’re there to cheer you on.
“I appreciate them. It’s always really tight-knit, no matter how many seniors go and how many JV people we get.”
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