Arcadia Tennis Eyes to Keep Building on Perfect Season

Things are heating up as the Apaches continue their quest for a CIF championship. – File photo by Aaron Valdez / Beacon Media News

By Aaron Valdez

The goal of a dream season is still alive and well as Arcadia girls’ tennis went undefeated in the regular season, put together an impressive showing at league finals and opened the playoffs on the right foot.

While most sports seasons have their ups and their downs, it’s safe to say that Apaches experienced quite a bit more of the former than the latter. Along with going 23-0 overall and 12-0 in league play, Arcadia won each match by an average of nearly 12 points.

After defeating Pasadena 18-0 to officially capture the Pacific league championship on Oct. 18, the Apaches went into league finals Oct. 24 at Burroughs High School as the heavy favorites.

Senior Rachelle Yang headlined Arcadia’s outing, claiming the singles crown by defeating Celine Khachiki of Glendale 6-0, 6-1 in the semifinal and Melissa Rosa Muradoglu 6-1, 6-0 in the final.

In doubles action, Arcadia dominated across the board as the duo of Michelle Deng and Lauren Ko defeated fellow Apaches Angela Qiu and Sunny Ng to win their third straight league title.

Following league finals, Arcadia competed in their tightest battle yet as it edged out Peninsula 10-8 in the CIF-SS Open Division First Round on Nov. 1.

As of the publishing of this article, Arcadia will have taken on Campbell Hall in the CIF-SS Open Division Semifinals on Wednesday. The winner of that match will play the winner between University and Corona del Mar in the finals at the Claremont Club on Friday.