Maranatha came out of Wednesday’s Olympic League finals with a singles and doubles champion, and a singles runner up. The Olympic League singles and doubles finals could not have been any more diametrically opposed, as Maranatha swept and won both titles. The singles title was secure, with both finalists hailing from MHS. It was the […]
Maranatha came out of Wednesday’s Olympic League finals with a singles and doubles champion, and a singles runner up.
The Olympic League singles and doubles finals could not have been any more diametrically opposed, as Maranatha swept and won both titles.
The singles title was secure, with both finalists hailing from MHS. It was the doubles finals that was in question, as the second-seeded Madelyn Hernandez and Michael Wilkins (23-4 in league) faced Whittier Christian’s top-seeded team, and league doubles MVP’s, Jessica Maher and Sam Martinez (25-2 in league).
After finishing as the runner-up her first two seasons, this was Hsieh’s first Olympic League singles title, capping a perfect undefeated league season for her.
It was Maranatha’s second consecutive singles title and third overall (both previous titles by Hailey McNall).
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the doubles final was a two hour and 15 minute marathon full of drama and tension from beginning to end, with the match see-sawing back and forth throughout, with neither team ever holding more than a two game lead.
The team that was behind most of the way in each set came back to overcome their deficit to win the set.
In the end, MHS’s Hernandez and Wilkins edged out Maher and Martinez, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4.
With both teams fighting pressure and nerves throughout, it was one of those matches that could have gone either way right to the end. Down 1-3 and 2-4 in the final set, the second seeds took control of the net and won the next four games to close out their first Olympic League doubles title, Maranatha’s second in a row (by Natalie Yee and Sarah Rutzen) and second overall (also by a 3rd set comeback, from a 1-4 deficit).
** Special thanks to Arthur Hsieh for this content.
