The Douglas boys' tennis team continued its breakout season Tuesday, beating Carson 14-4 to improve to 7-2 overall and 6-1 in league play.
Douglas was particularly strong through the first two rounds of doubles play, going 6-0 with its top three teams.
"Matt Thomas and Matt Williams made short work of their first-round opponents, beating them in 15 minutes," Douglas coach Rod Smith said. "Their win was followed by some big wins by our singles and doubles teams."
James TenBroeck extended his match win streak to 32 and improved to 12-0 with a pair of wins Tuesday, including a 6-2 win over previously-unbeaten Blake Sly.
Freshman Pat Johnson went 3-0 on the day, Matt Johnson picked up a win, as did Austin Ball, and Cody Tindel went 1-1.
Thomas and Williams went 2-0, as did the teams of Grant Mason-Shane Patton and Craig Stratton-Garon Athanacio.
Brother Jack and Marco Gooding accounted for Douglas' final point of the day.
Douglas has now won its last five matches by the end of the second round.
"These guys love to compete and their results are nothing less than remarkable," Douglas coach Rod Smith said. "Clinching a match that early allows me to get the whole team involved. As a coach, it doesn't get better than that.
"In doubles, there are two big factors that a team must embrace to be successful - keep double faults to a bare minimum and always provide positive reenforcement to your teammate. Shane, Grant, Matt Williams and Matt Thomas do that extremely well."
GIRLS
Douglas fought through a couple key injuries and illnesses Tuesday afternoon to take a 12-6 win over Carson.
"This was a very important match for us as both teams had only one league loss," Douglas coach Roger Rusmisel said. "We were missing two starters due to injury and illness, so we were counting on players to respond to the challenge of playing different roles."
Rochelle Seymour made her singles debut after two years on the team and went 2-1 on the day.
"She had two key wins in the first two rounds," Rusmisel said.
Chelsea Fent and Amanda Caras teamed up to win two matches, and Zoe VanderByl and Kelly Sonnemann won their first match as Douglas raced out to a 5-1 lead through the first round.
Rose Lombino and Marissa Menicucci picked up a third-round win and Amelia Ritger and Kari TenBroeck each win 3-0 on the singles side.
"This match showed again the luxury of having two quality singles players in Amelia and Kari," Rusmisel said. "They played very well and gave us the base of six of the 10 points we needed to win the match as we expect them to.
"I am proud of the way the team responded to the adversity of missing teammates in this important match. We're playing well heading into zone and we hope to carry that momentum with us."
