Martinez heads EYL crew going to Valley

Monache’s prodigious No. 1 singles player, Jasmine Martinez, ended her EYL season in convincing fashion.

The junior cruised through the weekend’s EYL Tournament — held at Tulare Western — losing just two games along the way and will be the league’s top singles representative at Saturday’s Valley Individual Tournament at Redwood High School.

For her undefeated work on Friday, Martinez earned a bye in the first round of Saturday’s action, then swept Cesar Chavez’s best player with a pair of 8-0 golden sets.

Martinez met up with Granite Hills’ Caitlin Jetter in the semis, delivering another sweeping pair of 6-0 victories.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies’ other EYL candidate, Sarah Herrera, took out No. 3 Brooke Hillman of Tulare Western to set up a finals showdown featuring intra-city rivals.

Herrera went on to play what Monache coach Gary Perez called “the best I’ve ever seen her play.” But Martinez proved too dominant despite dropping her only two games — one in each set — and won 6-1, 6-1.

Herrera finished second while Hillman took third and Jetter fourth after she lost to Hillman in the second round.

“Sarah played (Martinez) real tough,” Granite coach Randy Smee said. “She had several opportunities but couldn’t close them out.”

Perez said Martinez has improved on her sophomore season in which she also won the EYL singles’ portion of the tournament. Herrera and Porterville’s Shiloah Gibson were the only other two returnees.

“I think Jasmine’s getting stronger as she heads toward Valley finals,” Perez said. “I was really impressed with her patience to develop her points and work to get (her opponent’s) weaker shot and finish it. This is an example of her being focused and taking control.”

Monache’s other singles representative — Tiffany Camat — lost to Hillman before her exit from the tourney.

Monache’s doubles tandem of Kellie Agtarap and Allie Mejia defeated their Tulare Union counterparts, 8-1, before losing to Granite’s duo of Bailey Ward and Mai Lor, 1-6, 3-6.

The Marauders’ other duo — Karli Miller and Mercedes Alcantar — enjoyed one of the more impressive wins of the day, according to coach Perez. They took out third-seeded Delano’s top duo, 8-5, before losing to eventual doubles champions Tulare Union, 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, in a heartbreaking three-set match.

“I think we had the momentum after the second set but we had a change of venue (lighting) and they were able to switch the momentum back in their favor,” Perez said.

The Ward-Lor tandem lost to the Panthers’ combo of Gibson and Alisia Scudder, 0-6, 4-6 but bounced back with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Tulare Western to take finish third overall as the Grizzlies flexed their depth by sending four players to Valley.

Porterville’s doubles team finished second and Western fourth.

Valley play begins on Halloween and then continues the following Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6-7, at Redwood.