11.23.2019 – In a repeat of the CCS Championship match, and just as thrilling a finish, the Menlo girls’ tennis team defeated St. Francis-Mountain View 4-3 to win the CIF/USTA NorCal Championship on Saturday at Broadstone Sports Club in Folsom.

The top-seeded Knights finished the season with a 26-3 record, a CCS Championship and Saturday’s NorCal title, its first since 2015. 

The last match off the court was No. 1 singles, just as in the CCS championships. Knights junior Addie Ahlstrom played Alisha Chulani and rallied from a 5-1 deficit in the third set, then played her best tennis in the tiebreaker, winning 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2). 

“She won on sheer will,” Menlo coach Bill Shine. “She didn’t play as well as she usually does, but she was such a warrior. She won the match for her team.”

The doubles teams were key to the weekend as Menlo won every one with only one going to a third-set tiebreaker. 

“The doubles teams have gotten even better throughout the season and became unstoppable, ” Shine said. “They were key to us winning (CCS and NorCals).”

Menlo charged into the CIF-USTA NorCal Championship after sweeping University Prep and beating Granite Bay on Friday.

The Knights faced a familiar foe in St. Francis, a 4-3 winner over St. Francis-Sacramento. The teams met twice before the NorCal final -in the Tyler Nii Tournament and in the CCS Championship -with the same result each time. It is the seventh NorCal title in program history

Ahlstrom went 3-0 at the No. 1 spot and sophomore Brynn Brady picked up a win at No. 3 singles and two wins at No.1 doubles with C.C. Golub, also a sophomore. Junior Penelope Anderson went 3-0 at Nos. 2 and 3 doubles, getting two matches paired with senior Charlotte Lee and another playing with Siena Bundy.

CIF-USTA NorCals
at Broadstone SC, Folsom

Championship
Menlo 4, St. Francis 3

Addie Ahlstrom (M) d. Chulani 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2); Simone (SF) d. Tricia Zhang 6-2, 6-3; Pabari (SF) d. Yao 6-1, 6-1; Kawahura (SF) d. Lindsey Canessa 6-1, 6-1. Doubles – Brynn Brady-C.C.Golub (M) d. Kha-Yalmanchiri 6-2, 6-2; Elsie Ragatz-Natalie Westermann (M) d. Williams-Gao 6-1, 6-2; Charlotte Lee-Penelope Anderson (M) d. Yang-Phelps 6-4, 7-5

Semifinals

Menlo 5, Granite Bay 2
Addie Ahlstrom (M) d. Sridhar 6-3, 6-3; Tricia Zhang (M) d. Montgomery 6-3, 6-2; Tianpothang (GB) d. Charlotte Yao 6-1, 6-1; Gluskin (GB) d. Lindsey Canessa 6-1, 6-2. Doubles – Brynn Brady-CC Golub (M) d. Garcia-Ryder 6-2, 6-4; Natalie Westermann-Elsie Ragatz (M) d. Iyer-Lam 6-4, 6-1; Charlotte Lee-Penelope Anderson (M) d. Welch-Flinn 6-4, 6-3. 

Quarterfinals 

Menlo 7, University Prep-Redding 0
Ahlstrom d. Pinkston 6-0, 6-0; Zhang d. Anderson 6-1, 6-0; Brady d. Barth 6-0, 6-0; Yao d. Goss 6-0, 6-0. Doubles – Ellen Cho-Penelope Penfold Patterson d. Medina-Hokarson 6-2, 6-7 (10-5); Penelope Anderson-Siena Bundy d. Soars-Bickman 6-0, 6-1; Canessa-Alex Viret d. Ranohana-Yassin 6-1, 6-0