MJC’s women tennis drops state final in heartbreaker

The only loss for the Modesto Junior College women’s tennis team came at its final destination – the state final.

The championship came down to the last match Wednesday between No. 1 singles entries Vanessa Teves of Modesto and Connie Aranguiz, who hung on to win to give Mt. San Antonio College a 5-4 victory at Ventura College.

Teves, needing to break serve in the final game, twice battled to deuce before dropping the decisive third set in a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 loss. Both teams sought their first state title, and Mt. SAC (24-1) prevailed. MJC finished 16-1.

It was MJC’s best mark in women’s tennis since state singles titles by Lynn Henderson in 1989 and Christine Van Regenmorter in 1995.

“We took it to the last match,” MJC coach Milan Motroni said. “It was tough on us in the heat of the moment. You can’t disregard the fact that we had a great season.”

MJC, the Northern California champion, led 2-1 after the doubles matches thanks to wins by Teves and Chiara Adamo at No. 1 and Kristi Van Diver and Rebekah Jacobson at No. 3. But No. 2 doubles team Britney Leon and Parker Pilati lost for the first time this season. It was only the second MJC loss in doubles this year.

Jacobson and Pilati earned singles points for Modesto, and Pilati’s victory tied the match 4-4. Fans gathered around the court to watch the state title decided between Teves and Aranguiz.

“The teams were evenly matched. It could have gone either way,” Motroni said. “Losing that one doubles match was a factor.”

Mt. SAC, the top seed from Southern California, eliminated Glendale to reach the state final. MJC, the No. 3 NorCal seed, defeated three-time defending state champion Fresno in the NorCal final.

Action moves to Ojai for the state singles and doubles championships starting Thursday.

This story was originally published April 22, 2015 at 8:29 PM with the headline "MJC’s women tennis drops state final in heartbreaker."