STATE PLAY-IN: Singles sweep sends Centennial to semis

Down 3-0 in his opening set Monday, Centennial freshman Lucas Lee could have wilted under the pressure of a state play-in match.

Instead, the Bulldogs freshman went back to basics and promptly won 18 of his final 20 games.

Lee was one of three players to sweep his three singles sets, lifting Centennial to its first state semifinal appearance in tennis with a 12-6 win over Foothill at Darling Tennis Center. The Bulldogs (12-2) will meet Coronado (12-0) at 5:30 p.m.  Thursday at Darling.

“He’s very gritty,” Centennial coach Mike Livreri said. “He just grinded it out and showed his maturity out there.”

Lee trailed Foothill’s John Qualls 3-0 in his opening set before rallying for a 6-4 win. Lee added a 6-0 win over Joel Stoker and a 6-1 victory over Israel Lopez.

“I just learned how to deal with the wind and tried to approach every game like it was the first game,” Lee said. “Coming back like that gave me a lot of confidence.”

J.C. Pauli, a senior who transferred from Tech, and sophomore Travis Beck also went 3-0 in singles for the Bulldogs.

“We put the burden on our singles players today, and they came through,” Livreri said. “To accomplish this is huge.”

Josh Arias and Brandon Fish were 2-1 in doubles for Centennial.

Foothill’s Kevin Dion and Dylan Hansel went 3-0 in doubles for the Falcons.

Coronado’s doubles teams put on a display Monday, sweeping nine sets en route to a 12-6 win over The Meadows at Darling Tennis Center.

The Cougars’ teams of Liz Gibbons and Casey Thevenot, Lea Cohen and Jonelle Espinoza, and Paige Nisson and Brooke White each went 3-0 and surrendered a combined total of only 16 games in the nine sets.

“This is a major stepping stone for this group,” said Coronado coach Bob Clements, whose team will meet Bishop Gorman (15-0) in the semifinals Thursday at 2:30 p.m. “We won regionals five years in a row then didn’t go (to state) last year. It’s great to be going back.”

The Meadows got all six of its points from sisters Taler and Amanda Brazell, who each went 3-0 in singles.