Illness hinders Coast Union tennis team in two losses
Head coach Ron Ruggles believes that if he had his entire boys team healthy and available, the Broncos might well have won the two matches they played at home last week. But, unfortunately, four of his varsity players were ill and one was recovering from injury.
Without them on the court, Coast Union lost to Dunn 10-8 on Wednesday, March 16, and fell 11-7 to Orcutt Academy on Friday, March 18.
Top seed Alexis Mireles lost his first singles set, 4-6, but came back to win his next two, 6-0 and 6-1. Senior Roberto Quintero played doubles with Eric Hollingsead for the first time, and they won two of three sets. Their first was against Orcutt’s No. 1 doubles team, which they lost 3-6. Against Orcutt’s No. 2 team, Quintero and Hollingsead won 6-4. Then they dominated the No. 3 seeds 6-1. “So we did pretty good working together for the first time,” Quintero wrote in an email.
Ruggles goes into surgery this week to repair torn cartilage, so Shannon Jackson, who has coached tennis in the past, will step in for the rest of the tennis season.
“I’m really bummed,” Ruggles said in a phone interview, “because the sickness kept us from winning those games.”
He said the team would have had a chance to make the CIF playoffs if it had been victorious last week against Dunn and Orcutt Academy.
The Broncos face stiff competition starting this week against Morro Bay, then Templeton, Santa Maria and Atascadero, so Ruggles has no illusions about his team possibly running the table to make it to CIF.
“They worked so hard,” he said. “This is like one of the best groups I’ve ever worked with. When I tell them to do something, they put huge effort into it. They pay attention, they work hard, and it shows. I’m sad to leave them, I really am.”
On Tuesday, March 22, the Broncos lost in Morro Bay, 12-6. Top seed Mireles accounted for three of the Broncos’ points, winning all three of his sets, 6-2, 6-4, and 6-0.
The next home match for the tennis team is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 24, against Morro Bay.
This story was originally published March 23, 2016 at 10:52 AM with the headline "Illness hinders Coast Union tennis team in two losses."