Phaphol, Alcantara propel Monache at EYL tourney
Usually playing the part of Venus to Porterville High’s Serena, the Monache boys’ tennis team shined brighest at the EYL Tournament, Saturday.
The Marauders (10-2 EYL) lost twice to the Panthers (12-0) but came out ahead of their rivals in all aspects in Tulare.
Monache’s top doubles duo of Alex Phaphol and Drexler Alcantara upset Porterville’s top team of Jeremy Eggman and CJ Cobarruvias to become the EYL doubles champions.
Phaphol and Alcantara, who are the Marauders’ No. 2 and 3 singles players, stunned the Panthers’ top two players 6-4, 6-1.
“That was really great to see,” Monache coach Gary Perez said. “They made the Porterville pair play their game. Jeremy and CJ had to play more aggressive. Drexler and Alex attacked constantly and executed their game plan.”
Eggman, who beat Monache’s top singles player Goldie Rayani last week, and Cobarruvias opted to play doubles as opposed to taking on the EYL’s best singles players but were not as sharp as usual, Porterville coach Pat McCusker said.
“They didn’t have their best game,” he said. “Their serves were off, their volleys were off. The first set was very close but it just got worse from there.”
Both Marauders will move on to this weekend’s individual Valley Tournament in Clovis. The top Marauder player will join them but not the way he wanted to.
Rayani, who went 11-1 in EYL singles play, was upset in the finals by Delano’s Jarvis Delare 6-4, 6-3.
The junior Marauder had beaten Delare twice heading into their title match, but couldn’t match that level of play in their third faceoff.
Rayani was able to top Porterville’s Luis Suarez 6-1, 7-5 on his way to the finals.
Rayani will still head to Valley as the league’s No. 2 seed. Monache’s second doubles team of Adrian Ogma and Brandon Nucum lost to Eggman and Cobarruvias 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals but will travel to Clovis as the EYL’s No. 4 seed.
