The Scotts Valley High School tennis doubles duo of freshman Desi Rakela and senior Serena Strehlke won their first-round match in the Central Coast Section tournament before falling in the quarterfinals this week.
After playing singles all season long, Rakela and Strehlke came together as a doubles team for the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League tournament. They defeated Sanika Kshirsagar and Kelly McMinn 7-5, 6-3 in the league final to take the doubles championship on Oct. 25.
Then at CCS, the success continued. In the teams first round match on Nov. 19, they defeated a Monterey High team, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, to advance to the quarterfinals where there run ended with a 6-0, 6-0 loss to a team from Milpitas.
“It was especially neat they won the Santa Cruz County league,” said head coach Judy Newman. “They never played doubles (together) the whole year, and they turned out to be a good team.”
Newman said that the two have both played in clinics at La Madrona Athletic Club for years, but it was the first time they have teamed up on the high school court because one is a freshman and the other a senior.
