Can anyone stop the Tennis Cats?
Mother Nature huffed and puffed on Thursday, but the Saint Ignatius varsity tennis team did not collapse. Instead, the Wildcats cruised to a 5-0 victory over Westlake at home at Magnificat High School.
Soaking in the sun, the Wildcats tallied their ninth straight win and third this week.
With the windy conditions a factor, head coach Bobbe Bennett decided to add another small challenge – new doubles teams.
The Wildcats' first-year head coach paired freshman sensation Nate Day with 2017 State Qualifier Richie Hofstra, looking for a combination of youth and experience. The two performed quite well together. Day and Hofstra tallied a 6-2 win in set one before finishing off the victory with a 6-1 triumph in No. 1 doubles.
Bennett paired her "Jacks" in the No. 2 doubles slot. Jack Showman and Jack McNally came together for the contest, and did well. The duo fought for a 6-4 win in set #1 before easing to a 6-2 victory in set #2.
“There were tough conditions today for both teams with the high winds, but I was proud of how the guys worked through it and played good tennis," Bennett said. "Especially our doubles, which we switched up a bit. For the first time playing together, I was very happy how they worked together and played very well.”
The Wildcats' singles players rolled through the competition with little difficulty. Arjun Brahmbhatt continued his domination of the No. 1 singles spot, capturing a 6-0, 6-0 win.
Brian Zhu followed up with another double bagel performance, capturing a 6-0, 6-0 victory. Drew Barclay finished off the clean sweep with another clear 6-0, 6-0 decision.
With a 9-0 record, the Wildcats will roll into Friday's match with University School with plenty of momentum. The Tennis Cats will host the 4:30 pm showdown at Magnificat.