Vaqueros march on to regionals
With his right ankle practically healed, Trevor Campbell went about his normal business of staying aggressive Friday afternoon.
The Glendale Community College sophomore men’s singles tennis player shuffled from sideline to sideline returning shots during his round-of-16 Western State Conference match at Ventura College. Campbell, a Burroughs High graduate, rolled his ankle April 14 during an opening-round match and it wasn’t determined until Thursday if he would compete Friday.
“It felt good and it really didn’t bother me much,” said Campbell, who recorded a 6-1, 6-3 victory against Patrick Massey of L.A. Pierce. “I had to go out there and just stay calm and trust what I could do and it’s great to be moving on.”
Glendale singles player Grayson Frazier, a La Cañada High graduate, also won Friday. Frazier picked up a 6-4, 7-5 victory against Dylan Cleary of Ventura.
Campbell and Frazier punched their ticket to the Southern California Regionals, which will be held May 3-5 at Irvine Valley College. Campbell and Frazier will also participate in doubles in Irvine.
Glendale men’s coach Bob MacKay said Campbell and Frazier feasted on their opponents’ miscues.
“It’s a good win for both of them and they played well throughout,” MacKay said. “They were ready from the start and capitalized on a lot of unforced errors.
“So many matches are won by taking advantage of unforced errors. They were both able to go out there and make their shots and close things out.”
Sevana Zargarian and Sofia Tavitian both won their respective round-of-16 sets Friday to advance to represent Glendale’s women’s team in the regional.
Vaqueros Coach Bob Donaghy was pleased with the results.
“There were no easy matches and the conference is very tough,” Donaghy said. “It’s great to have two players qualify for regionals.”
Zargarian, the bracket’s top seed and a Glendale High graduate, defeated third-ranked Henrietta Spetz of Santa Barbara Community College, 6-4, 6-0. Tavitian defeated Ventura’s fourth-seeded Layne Gallimore, 6-3, 6-3.
Samantha Sismundo, who’s also a former Nitro, was unable to advance, as she fell to Ventura’s Jessica Worring, 6-3, 6-2.
“Sevana had a bit of an easier draw,” Donaghy said. “She played well and aggressive. I thought Sofia played real well and she seemed to be in charge the whole time. With Sammy, she played her best, but she’s not happy she lost.”
The season will continue for Sismundo and Zargarian, though, as the pair advanced to regionals in doubles last Saturday. Tavitian and Phoebe Minette also advanced in doubles competition.
