The tennis team battled hard throughout the three-day BC AA Championships last week and ended up missing out on a medal by the slimmest margin. Coaches Wong and Ross were very proud of their young squad and are already looking forward to next season. Here is Coach Wong's report:
It's rare that you can say that you defeated the Provincial Champions. The Cavs are the only team in BC that can say that when they beat Magee this year, in a heart-stopping 6-5 Sea to Sky Final several weeks prior. Magee got their revenge by defeating Collingwood 6-5 in the Provincial Semi-Finals this weekend. SMUS then beat Collingwood in the bronze medal game. Collingwood finished 4th in BC at the 2022 AA Tennis Provincials.
For every single member of the team, it was their first experience BC Tennis Provincials. Even more notable is that 100% of the team returns next year, including some key players who were unavailable for provincials. With that in mind, the team is intent on claiming the 2023 Provincial Banner. Coach Ross and Coach Wong are looking to the future, which included four Grade 8's who played pivotal roles.
Highlights of provincials included the growth of the girls' doubles teams - Kiana Shabazi /Tara Danaei, and Sophie Bell/ Vanessa Godley. Both teams had key victories including Tara and Kiana's tie-breaking win over the Brentwood A Doubles Team. Katie Stock frustrated her opponents all week with her steady baseline play. She went an impressive 3-2, which included winning a marathon match vs. Mt. Douglas.
The boys' mixed up their line-up. Julius Roth stepped up big the first two days, and Mattias Negris showed off his booming serve in mixed doubles. Niko Panagiotopoulos earned singles wins over Archbishop Carney and Brentwood. Neil Zhao played singles in the semi-finals and a bronze medal game, defeating Magee and SMU. He is going to be one of the top players in BC for the next four years. Roan Priatel and Michael Botti made a menacing duo in A doubles. Their day 1 win over Archbishop Carney was a highlight. Perhaps the top win came in the bronze medal game where Ewan Robertson and Niko Panagiotopoulos took down the A doubles team from SMUS.
The team has one more match this year, as they compete against Sentinel for the North Shore Banner.
Katie Stock had a terrific BC Championships.
Roan Priatel was one-half of Collingwood's dynamic Boys A Doubles team.