Fresno City went 4-2 in singles, then swept the doubles on Tuesday in a 7-2 season-opening women's tennis victory over SBCC at Pershing Park.
The Rams were 17-2 last year and reached the State quarterfinals. The Vaqueros return one player from last year's squad that went 4-8.
Amanda Berke got the first point for SBCC at No. 3 singles with a 7-5, 6-2 straight-set win over Macy Elliott. Marcela Massaglia, a freshman from Brazil, got the other point at No. 2 singles with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Marian Bogajo.
"Everyone did a great job battling today," said second-year coach Lance Kronberg. "Amanda won a tough match in two close sets. Marcela had an epic match with an amazing effort. She won a long and close first set, then started suffering cramps in both calf muscles when leading 3-2 in the second. She could have retired after a medical timeout, but refused, and went on to win in 2½ hours."
Kronberg said he's still working on his lineup and has the luxury of a 10-player roster this year.
"I see some talent on this team," he noted. "We played a strong Fresno team and we were missing three of our top six players.
"Last year was simple because we only had six players. I'm figuring out how these players play and it's going to take a while."
Singles
1. Marifer Ochoa, FCC, def. Maddie Seeds 6-4, 6-3
2. Marcela Massaglia, SBCC, def. Marian Bogajo 6-3, 6-3
3. Amanda Berke, SBCC, def. Macy Elliott 7-5, 6-2
4. Sam Tiscareno, FCC, def. Edda von Hodenberg 6-0, 6-3
5. Alexis Rodriguez, FCC, def. Carolina Jaramillo 6-0, 6-1
6. Sam Jura, FCC, def. Jessica Vaern Bjoerk 6-1, 6-1
Doubles
1. Ochoa/Bagajo, FCC, def. Seeds/Von Hodenberg 8-1
2. Elliott/Rodriguez, FCC, def. Berke/Gabriel McDaniel 8-6
3. Jura/Harley Pena, FCC, def. Jaramillo/Vaern Bjoerk 8-1