Crescenta Valley High doubles teams falls in second round of CIF
Following their first Pacific League doubles championship, Jackie Dilanchyan and Alexa Gregorian made their inaugural appearance Monday in the CIF Southern Section Individuals Tournament.
After winning a tough first round, the Crescenta Valley High tandem saw their season come to a close in the second round at Cate High in Carpinteria.
Dilanchyan and Gregorian, both seniors, began the event with a 7-5, 6-4 victory against Bree Jensen and Reagan Mroz of Santa Ynez. The duo then suffered a 6-4, 6-1 defeat against Annette Sousa and Gabi Pereverziev of Righetti. Sousa and Pereverziev, who teamed up to capture the PAC-7 League championship, had a bye in the first round.
“They played very good in the first round and moved well around the court,” said Crescenta Valley second-year Coach San Hyun, whose led the Falcons to a third-place finish in league and lost to West Ranch in a CIF Southern Section Division II wild-card match. “They had some good lobs and made some smart plays.
“They had a short break in between matches and I think they just got tired and a bit sluggish in the second round.”
Dilanchyan and Gregorian recorded a 5-7, 6-4, 10-8 victory against Burbank’s Meredy Gharabegi and Elizabeth Sanchez in the league final Oct. 30 at Pasadena High.
The duo came into Monday’s match confident.
“The first round was exciting and nerve-wracking,” Dilanchyan said. “Everybody you play finished first or second in league.
“No matter who you played, it was going to be tough. The first round was back and forth and then we managed to pull through. In the second round, the team we faced was fresh and ready to play. If they were going to take us, then we wanted to make it a battle.”
Gregorian said she was fortunate to be a part of the tournament.
“It was probably the most amazing experience,” Gregorian said. “I’d never gotten this far before and it’s a big deal to play against people at our level or better.
“We came in with confidence and the points we got were good. We were close in the first round and we just ran of our fuel in the second round.”
The round of 32 will take place Dec. 3 at Whittier Narrows Tennis Center in South El Monte. The round of 16 and quarterfinals will be Dec. 4 at Seal Beach Tennis Center. The semifinals and finals will take place Dec. 5 at Seal Beach.
