Royal, Simi slug it out
Simi Valley boys' tennis team beats rival, 12-6
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

Photos by IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers SHOWDOWN- Simi Valley High's Josh Santiago, left, rips a forehand return during Tuesday's boys' tennis match at Royal. Later in the day, Highlander Matt Switzler, right, slices a tough serve.

It may not be as hyped as football or baseball, but the rivalry between the boys' tennis teams at Royal and Simi Valley high schools is just as intense to the players.

Simi Valley earned city bragging rights on Tuesday by beating its crosstown rivals, 12-6, on the road in the first of two meetings scheduled this season.

With the win, the Pioneers improved to 6-4 overall and 3-2 in the Marmonte League. Royal fell to 4-6 and 2-3 in league.

"When I first started coaching at Simi Valley, the principal told me there wouldn't be as much emphasis put on the tennis teams as there would be on other sports," Simi Valley head coach Rob Wickwire said.

"But he said even if we went 2-13, as long as we beat Royal, I'd get to keep my job. I don't know if it was a joke, but it turned out to be good advice."

Seniors Spencer Stendel and Adam Luong, along with freshman Goutam Krish, won each of their three matches to give SVHS nine of its 12 set wins on the day. Stendel, the Pioneers' No. 1 singles player, was flawless, winning all three of his matches, 6-0.

"I wasn't feeling good today, and I definitely need to work on my serve, but I seemed to play okay," Stendel said.

"At the start of the year, this is one game we look at and say to ourselves that we can't lose. Since I've been a freshman, I've never lost to Royal, and I wasn't going to lose today."

The only time a singles set was close between the two teams was when freshman Zack Collins, Royal's No. 1 singles player, battled Krish to an epic tiebreaker.

Krish led 6-5, but couldn't put Collins away, as the game went to deuce more than 10 times before Collins tied the set 6-6. Krish eventually won the set, 7-6 (9-7 in tiebreaker points).

After the match, a fatigued Krish did 14 pushups for making his teammates wait so long to pull out a win.

SO GOOD- Simi Valley High's Daniel So waits to return a backhand shot from the baseline.

"I was sort of nervous at some points when playing (Collins), and it was a huge relief when I won," Krish said. "He's a good lefty, and I just tried to stay calm and keep the ball in play. In the tiebreaker, my main goal was to win the service points and be as aggressive as possible."

Although the Highlanders couldn't squeak out a win in singles, their doubles play was a different story. The combination of senior Matt Switzler and sophomore Kyle Hodgkinson, along with duos Brian Delpasand and Ross Pineda, and Riley Grant with Patrick Locacciate, each won two of three sets.

"What worked for us is that we switched up our style of play, depending on our opponent," Delpasand said. "Sometimes we'd do a lot of lobs, and sometimes we'd try to power it through."

Royal head coach Roger Hixon, a 1987 graduate of the school, knows a lot about the rivalry, having played for the Highlanders during his time at RHS. Hixon, however, said times have changed, and with RHS rebuilding in a tough Marmonte League, he doesn't put too much pressure on his team.

"Coming in to most matches in this league, we know we probably aren't going to win," Hixon said. "I still tell them to be as competitive as you can but make sure you have a fun time. We need to learn from our losses and get better each match."

Simi Valley got contributions from its doubles team of Josh Santiago and Sid Jairam, as the pair won all three of its sets. Stendel said that because of the improvement in doubles, SVHS has a shot at the postseason.

"In the four years I've been here, this is the best team I've been on," Stendel said.

"The team of Jairam and Santiago, along with the play of Dan So and Shouta Kuroda, has gotten a lot better, and now we're pretty much powerful all-around. I've never made the playoffs while I've been at Simi, and it would be a great way to end my time here."