Los Banos No. 1 Liu caps another perfect season with postseason honor

When you haven’t lost a league match … ever … and you play for a team that has won more than 100 consecutive league contests, it takes a special kind of player to be No. 1 on that team.

A player like Los Banos’ Shirley Liu, the Stanislaus District’s girls tennis Player of the Year for 2017.

Liu ran her career league mark to 49-0 this season and helped the Tigers to an eighth consecutive undefeated league run … and she did it without dropping a single set.

“Our team on a streak started back eight years ago,” said Liu, who was Los Banos’ No. 1 player all four years of her career. “Contributing to that streak is kind of what compels me. I’m really happy and really proud of not only me, but also my whole team for staying undefeated.

“So it’s a good way to end my senior year.”

In the postseason, Liu got an unfortunate draw, earning a date with the No. 2 seed – Ponderosa’s Kaira Bernaldez – in the opening round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II individual tournament.

Liu helped the Tigers gain the No. 1 seed in the Division IV team tournament, earning a 6-3 win over Central Catholic before being up set 6-3 in the semifinals by Sierra.

This story was originally published December 24, 2017 at 8:18 AM with the headline "Los Banos No. 1 Liu caps another perfect season with postseason honor."