Eldorado girls carry momentum from league title into postseason

Eldorado’s girls tennis team never had won a Northeast League title before this season.

And with only five letter winners back from a team that didn’t even qualify for the postseason last year, hardly anyone believed that would change.

Except for the Sundevils, that is.

“I always thought that we could win,” senior Abby Marasigan said. “We all worked really hard, and I just knew our hard work would pull through.”

Eldorado (10-1) rides a 10-match winning streak into the Sunrise Region playoffs, which open at 2:30 p.m. Monday as the Sundevils host Green Valley (5-3).

The winner moves on to Wednesday’s regional semifinal. The final is set for 5:30 p.m. Friday at Darling Tennis Center.

“The girls were a little more confident than I was,” Eldorado coach Jesse Medellin said. “I was just hoping to get back to the postseason. To not get in last year really hurt us as a team. I think that’s what brought this team together.”

Togetherness, in fact, might be one of the Sundevils’ biggest assets.

“We’ve gotten really close this season,” Marasigan said. “We call each other a family. We support each other.”

A sense of urgency didn’t hurt, either.

The team’s three singles players — Alexis Sama, Arely Diaz and Ruth Mejia — and the top doubles team of Marasigan and Margeaux Martinez all are seniors.

“This would be our last time being able to try for the title,” Martinez said. “This was our year that we had to step up and get it. It feels amazing to see it come together. It feels right.”

Eldorado also has gotten big contributions from the doubles teams of Leslie Rodriguez and Yoli Carrillo, and Dora Carrillo and Yunuen Cuicas.

“Our two and three doubles have really stepped up,” Medellin said.

The focus now, though, is on extending the season at a time when any match could be the team’s last.

“We still have a long way to go, but if we just keep working harder every day, we’ll pull through,” Sama said. “We need to just push harder. We just have to get ready and play our game.”

In the other Sunrise girls quarterfinals Monday, it’s Silverado (5-3) at Valley (6-3); Rancho (6-2) at Liberty (9-1); and Las Vegas (7-4) at Coronado (10-0).

Monday’s Sunset Region quarterfinals are: Desert Oasis (6-4) at Palo Verde (10-0); Clark (6-3) at The Meadows (9-1); Faith Lutheran (9-3) at Bonanza (8-1); and Centennial (5-3-1) at Bishop Gorman (9-1).

The boys region quarterfinals are Tuesday. In the Sunrise, Foothill (5-3) is at Las Vegas (10-1); Liberty (8-2) visits Chaparral (9-1); Valley (7-3) is at Green Valley (6-1); and Eldorado (7-4) visits Coronado (10-0).

The Sunset boys quarterfinals are: Virgin Valley (5-4) at Palo Verde (10-0); Bonanza (6-3) at Centennial (8-1); Faith Lutheran (9-3) at Bishop Gorman (9-1); and Arbor View (8-4) at Clark (8-1).