To think that the Burbank High girls’ tennis team came as close as it did to playing in a CIF Southern Section Championship match is quite remarkable when one considers two thirds of the team was in middle school two years ago.
Burbank High’s remarkable season came to end came Wednesday at the hands of Flintridge Prep, who won 10-8 in a Division 3 semifinal.
“I’m so proud of our team,” Burbank doubles player Maryam Tayajbi said. “Everybody played great. Even though we lost, it was a good loss because we were playing the best we’ve ever played.”
Burbank won six sets in singles and put up a strong fight in all of its doubles sets, but was able to pull through in just two.
Flintridge Prep junior Annika Shivaram won all three of her sets.
She defeated Daphne Harbaugh, Burbank’s No.1 singles player, 6-1.
Shivaram won 6-0 over Burbank No. 2 singles player Elin Sepanian.
She defeated Burbank No. 3 player Astghik Tombakian, a freshman, 6-4.
Harbaugh defeated Flintridge Prep No. 2 player Maddie Rome and No. 3 player Paige Ma by 6-1 scores.
Sepanian won 6-1 over Rome and 6-2 over Ma.
Tombakian won 6-0, 6-0 over Rome and Ma.
In doubles, Burbank’s No. 1 team of senior Toma Khachatryan and freshman Elizabeth Tsaturyan won just one set, going 6-1 over the Flintridge Prep No. 3 team Kate Rome and Olivia Tourney.
They lost 6-3 to the Flintridge Prep No. 1 team of Rachel Mandel and Kara Choy and 6-2 to the No. 2 team of Audrey Chung and Francesca Cecil.
Burbank’s No. 2 doubles team of freshman Sona Meenasian and sophomore Eliza Gevorgyan won 7-6(7-5) over Rome and Tourney. They lost 6-1 to Mandel and Choy and 6-2 to Chung and Cecil.
The Burbank No.3 team of sophomore Gabriella Abramian and Tayabji, who is a freshman, went 0-6, 2-6, 4-6.
Flintridge Prep will play its arch rival Pasadena Poly in the championship match. The two teams split their regular season matches against each other.
