COD Women’s Tennis Sends Four to Ojai Following PCAC Championships

The College of the Desert women's tennis team (8-8, 5-5 PCAC) will send four student-athletes to the prestigious Ojai Tournament following a strong performance at the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference (PCAC) Championships, held April 2–3 at Southwestern College in Chula Vista.

Leading the way was freshman standout Sophie Cordova (Palm Desert H.S.), who earned both PCAC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors as voted on by conference coaches.

Women's Singles

To qualify for The Ojai in singles competition, players needed to win their opening main draw match and either advance through the second round or fight their way through the back draw.

Cordova, COD's No. 1 singles player and the tournament's top seed, delivered a dominant showing. She opened with a commanding 6-0, 6-0 victory over Southwestern, then followed with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Grossmont to reach the quarterfinals and secure her place at The Ojai.

At No. 2 singles, freshman Lindsey Lopez (Downers Grove {IL} North) advanced past her opening round with a strong 6-1, 6-1 win over a player from Imperial Valley. She then faced the tournament's No. 2 seed from San Diego City, falling in straight sets. Lopez battled in the back draw, dropping a tight 8-6 decision to a player from San Diego City and later, in the back-back draw, falling in a 6-3 match to a player from Southwestern, narrowly missing qualification.

Freshman Sofia Torres (Indio H.S.), competing at No. 4 singles, earned her way into the main draw with a feed-in victory before falling in the opening round to the No. 6 seed, a player from Southwestern, 6-2, 6-2.

Sophomore Liliana Ruiz (Coachella Valley H.S. - Thermal) was defeated in the opening round by a player from San Diego City (6-0, 6-0), while sophomore Mia Castillo (Indio H.S.) fell to the No. 3 seed, a player from Grossmont (6-0, 6-0). Freshman Sofia Campbell (Cabrillo Point Academy - El Cajon) also dropped her opening match to a player from San Diego City (6-0, 6-0).

Women's Doubles

COD will be represented by two doubles teams at The Ojai.

The No. 1 team of Cordova and Lopez, seeded No. 4 in the tournament, turned in an impressive performance. They opened with an 8-2 win over a doubles team from Imperial Valley, then followed with an 8-5 victory in the quarterfinals over another doubles team from Imperial Valley, which was also the No. 5-ranked team in the tournament, to clinch their berth.

The No. 2 team of Campbell and Castillo showed resilience after an opening-round loss. Falling 8-3 to a doubles team from Southwestern, which was also the No. 6-ranked team in the tournament, they responded with a dominant 8-0 win over a doubles team from Mt. San Jacinto in the back draw to secure qualification.

The No. 3 team of Torres and sophomore Oriana Ramirez (Indio H.S.) fought through a feed-in win against a doubles team from Imperial Valley before facing tough competition. They fell to a doubles team from Grossmont, which was also the No. 3-ranked team in the tournament (8-1) in the main draw and again in the back draw (8-1), then split matches in the back-back draw with a win over a doubles team from Southwestern (6-1) before a final loss to a doubles team from Imperial Valley (6-1).

Up Next

The Roadrunners will next compete at the 3C2A State Championships, held across Ventura County beginning April 23. The tournament concludes April 26 with the state singles and doubles finals at Libbey Park in Ojai.

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For additional information, please contact the COD Sports Information Office at 760.423.6641.

Information & Story provided by COD Sports Information. Photo by Dale Beck Photography.