Bush, Smithley qualify for state doubles

VENTURA — All the other teams had left Ventura College’s tennis courts.

Their day was done.

But not the Antelope Valley College women’s tennis team, which played well into the night and under the lights.

The last two remaining were the Marauders’ No. 1 doubles team of Sydney Bush and Naia Smithley facing the host Ventura’s Alexis Schmidt and Elizabet Nguyen.

It wasn’t without its drama either.

Bush and Smithley found themselves trailing 7-3 in an 8-game pro set. The AVC duo, however, showed their resiliency and rallied by winning four games in a row. The set eventually went to a tie break where Bush and Smithley took control to win 7-2, propelling the team into the State Championships on day one of the Western State Conference tournament.

“It was just about teamwork and the support from our other teammates,” Smithley said. “When we got down, we knew we couldn’t give up. We never give up. It was all about our heart. We knew we had to keep going.

“This is a good victory for us, and I’m definitely excited. Right now, I’m just processing everything.”

Another doubles team for AVC, Nicole Padilla and Julie Tejeda won their first match against College of the Canyons’ Marie Arana Llosa and Faith Abt, 8-3, to advance to the second round.

Padilla and Tejeda then faced the No. 1 doubles team from Bakersfield College, Greta Krueger and Kiana Lua. AVC

dropped that set, 8-1, however, Padilla and Tejeda can still qualify for the state tournament on Friday in the back draw of the bracket.

“The hard part about the conference tournament is that, for some of the ladies, the season will end,” AVC head coach Justin Webb said. “The good part is that if things go well, others will have the opportunity to qualify for the State Championships.

“Everyone played well today despite the final results, and I am proud of all of them. Julie (Tejeda), Naia (Smithley), and Sydney (Bush) continue to have the opportunity to qualify in singles and Nicole and Julie have the same opportunity in doubles. Naia and Sydney were on the edge in doubles but kept fighting point by point for a hard-earned victory. Their reward is that they have qualified for the State Championships in doubles. That one match really personified everything we are about as a program.”

Mary Williams and Katie Secaida were defeated in the first round by Ventura’s Belladora Moga and Laura Rubio, 8-2. The Marauders other doubles team of Ari Avina and Emily Lopez were defeated by L.A. Mission College’s Julisa Galvan and Victoria Garcia, 8-0.

“This has been a really good experience. I’m sad about singles, and I know I could have played better,” Padilla said. “Julie (Tejeda) and I have been playing a lot better. I feel like we’re playing some of our best tennis. Our chemistry together has been building and we know our strengths and our weaknesses. We always keep our spirits up in matches.”

Padilla lost her opening-round singles match to Glendale College’s Skylar Sabetta, 8-2. Tejeda defeated Bakersfield’s Arianna Sullivan, 8-3, to advance to the round of 32. Tejeda will face the tournament’s top-seed, Nicole West, from Santa Monica College. West is the defending state-runner up from last season and is undefeated on the season.

“In the beginning, I was extremely nervous. I was shaking. All of the schools and everybody was watching,” Tejeda said. “I knew I just had to breathe and process everything. I thought I played okay, and I know I could’ve done better, but I’m still pleased with the victory.”

Bush, seeded 10th, and Smithley, seeded 13th, both had byes in the opening round and only played doubles. They will play singles today.

Lopez trailed 7-2 to Glendale’s Miya Kumamoto, the same player she faced on Tuesday in a home conference match, and rallied to trim the lead to 7-6. Kumamoto, however, was able to hold serve and win the final game to seal the victory, 8-6.

Williams was defeated by Mission’s Madelyn Barajas, 8-2, while Secaida lost to Mission’s Citlalin Sanchez De La Cruz, 8-1. Avina lost to Schmidt, 8-0, in her opening round match.