SBCC women’s tennis got dominated by the Glendale Vaqueros 9-0 on Thursday at Pershing Park in a battle for first place.
Glendale City College, sharing the same Vaquero mascot, ended City College’s six game win streak, moving City College down to second place in the league. Glendale has now won seven in a row and are 8-2 on the season.
Freshman Katelyn Peyvandi, who has one of the most powerful shots on the team, was frustrated by the strong winds throughout the day.
“I definitely did not play my own game,” said Peyvandi. “The wind would make the ball move left and right. It affected me on both sides of the court.”
The strong gusts of wind and cold temperature proved to be challenging for both teams. Due to the quick gusts, the ball had a mind of its own at times, changing directions and blowing from one side of the court to the other.
Although the wind affected her positioning, Peyvandi seemed to consistently outsmart her opponents throughout the match, hustling up to the net, returning lobbed shots and surprising opponents with her incredibly powerful serve.
Glendale appeared equally frustrated with the unexpected weather but was able to maintain composure long enough to hold the hometown Vaqueros off.
City College knew Glendale’s reputation and undefeated record, and went into the match fully aware of how skilled it’s players were.
Peyvandi said the other team didn’t bring anything new or unexpected today and that she could have played “her game” if the winds weren’t a major distraction.
Peyvandi’s doubles partner Josephine Pulver had similar feelings about the unusual weather.
“Yeah, it was really distracting,” Pulver said. “I had to move my feet a lot more. It moves the ball when I toss it up for a serve, so I need to adjust my form.”
Pulver could see the positives in her play as well, highlighting her higher level of intensity and ability to keep the pace of her opponents; a couple things that she felt needed improvement since the team’s last match.
Despite the long win streak coming to an end and the team being bumped down to second place, head coach Christina Klein said that she is proud of the fact that her girls “aren’t backing down.”
“I am proud of the way they fought and their desire to compete,” said Klein.
City College will look to bounce back in its next match against Grossmont Community College at 2 p.m. on Friday at Pershing Park. The Vaqueros are now 6-2 while Grossmont carries a record of 4-2.
