The Burbank High girls’ tennis team may be young, but the Bulldogs are already playing at a high level.
That was evident Thursday when they defeated host Burroughs 13-5 in a Pacific League match.
“We’re pretty young. Our singles are all underclassmen,” coach Loi Phan said. “If someone doesn’t play well, there is someone else ready to take their spot. There is competition. What is nice isn’t that we have a combo between the older and the younger girls.”
Burbank (6-1, 4-1 in league), which is ranked No. 2 in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 poll, won seven of nine sets in singles and took six of nine in doubles.
The Bulldogs had won nine sets after two rounds of the round-robin style playing format.
No. 1 singles player Cleo Wang, who is a sophomore, swept her three sets.
She won 6-4 over Burroughs No. 1 Isabella Bermudez-Harris, 6-4 over Burroughs No. 2 Lauren Pieri and 6-2 over freshman Aly Stoliker, who came in as a subsitute for Lindsey Mazarei, who played two sets.
Burbank No. 2 player, sophomore Victoria Kalantar played in the closest set of the day. She lost 7-6(7-5) in a tiebreaker to Pieri, who is a senior. She defeated Mazarei 6-0. Senior Erika Ayriyan came in as a substitute and fell 6-4 to Bermudez-Harris, who is a senior.
Burbank No. 3 singles player, freshman Sena Hammel won her three sets 6-0 over Bermudez-Harris, 6-1 over Pieri and 6-1 over Mazarei, who is a junior.
“We all tried our best,” Bermudez-Harris said. “Burbank is always a tough opponent. We go in thinking it will be close.”
In doubles, the Burbank No. 1 team of seniors Elli Sumera and Lilyan Hawrylo won one set in defeated the Burroughs No. 2 team of senior Bella Munguia and sophomore Ava Marye, 6-1. The Burroughs No. 1 doubles team of seniors Maddy Safarik and Vanessa Muga defeated Sumera and Hawrylo 6-4.
Burbank seniors Arpi Krikorian and Meeneh Mirzaians came in as a subsitute for Sumera and Hawrylo and defeated the Burroughs team of freshman Abby Stell and senior Eve Kim-Brody, 6-0.
The Burbank No. 2 doubles team of sophomores Brianna Khobramasihi and Sydney Lin won 6-1 over Safarik and Muga, 6-1 over Munguia and Marye and 6-0 over Stell and her partner, freshman Hannah Lewis.
The Burbank No. 3 doubles team of seniors Arpi Krikorian and Lena Jabourian lost 6-4 to Munguia and Marye, but defeated the Burroughs team of Stell and Lewis.
Krikorian teamed with Jenna Jabourian in a 5-7 loss to Burroughs No. 2 team of Munguia and Marye.
