For the third time in the last four years, Maranatha played in the CIF-SS Div. 5 playoffs (MHS was in Div. 4 last season), reaching at least the semi-finals each time. In 2014, they won the CIF-SS Div. 5 title. In 2015, they lost in the semis, 9-9. 2017 turned out to be deja vu as the Lady Minutemen lost 9-9 once again.<\/p>\n
The similarities of this match to the 2015 semi-final match were uncanny. Both times Maranatha came in as the #1 seed and faced the #4 seed from large public schools in north Orange County. Both times Maranatha held a 4-2 lead after the first round. Both times the score was 6-6 after two rounds. Both ended in 9-9 ties, with MHS coming up just short on games.<\/p>\n
Today’s semi-final was a heavyweight match-up between the only two teams who have held the #1 ranking in Div. 5 this season. It was a back and forth affair, with Orange starting off, 2-0. Maranatha then reeled off four straight sets, with Angela Hsieh and Malena Smith winning in singles and Maddie Hernandez\/Michael Wilkins and Reagan Atallah\/Aria Haver-Hill winning in doubles. The Lady Panthers went on their own run to start the second round, pulling ahead, 5-4, before Hernandez\/Wilkins tied it up at 5-5. Two of Orange’s doubles sets were won, 6-0, which would prove costly for the Lady Minutemen in the end.<\/p>\n
All eyes turned to the final two sets of the second round, with Hsieh and Smith both engaged in dog fights, 4-4 and 5-5 respectively. Smith’s match ended first, with Smith narrowly losing in a tie-breaker, 6-7, in an epic battle, and giving Orange a 6-5 lead. Hsieh finally prevailed in easily the longest set of the day, 7-5, tying the score at 6-6.<\/p>\n
The final round of play opened with Orange’s #1 doubles and Hsieh each producing off-setting 6-0 victories. Orange’s #1 singles won next, 6-0, followed by Hernandez\/Wilkins winning, 6-3, evening the match at 8-8. Orange’s #3 doubles then won, 6-2, leaving Smith’s match versus the Lady Panther’s best player as the final set of the day. Smith pulled off the upset, 7-5 to even the score at 9-9.<\/p>\n
When a match ends in a 9-9 tie, all the games in all the sets are counted to determine the winner. When all was said and done, the Lady Minutemen lost five of their sets, 0-6, while Hsieh produced MHS’s only two 6-0 wins. That proved to be the difference.<\/p>\n
This marks the end of the careers of seniors Angela Hsieh, Reagan Atallah, Madelyn Hernandez, and Hellen Hong.<\/p>\n
Hsieh, a four-year starter and a two-year captain, concludes her illustrious career with a CIF Div. 5 title, two semi final appearances, three Olympic league team titles, two Olympic league Singles MVP’s (106-2 in league, 94 consecutive), four 1st Team All-League selections, two league tournament singles champion and two-time finalist, four CIF Indviduals appearances, and an overall career mark of 210-26.<\/p>\n
Atallah, a four-year varsity member, three-year starter, and two-year captain, concludes her career with a CIF Div. 5 title, three Olympic League team titles, a 1st Team All-League selection, and two 2nd Team All-League selections. Atallah hardly played her first year but improved each year to earn her first 1st Team All-League selection this season.<\/p>\n
Hernandez, a three-year starter and a two-year captain, leaves as the reigning Olympic League doubles MVP (along with Michael Wilkins), a two-time league tournament doubles champion, a two-time 1st Team All-League selection, a 2nd Team All-League selection, two Olympic League team titles, and two CIF Individuals appearances. She improved each season, going 50-4 in her final two league seasons, and an impressive 12-0 with Wilkins during this year’s playoff run.<\/p>\n
Hong is a three-year varsity member. Like Atallah, she started with little ability, but improved each season, eventually breaking out this season to become the league tournament doubles finalist (with Stella Wang), a 1st Team All-League selection, and a CIF Individuals participant. She and Wang posted an impressive 22-4 league mark this season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For the third time in the last four years, Maranatha played in the CIF-SS Div. 5 playoffs (MHS was in Div. 4 last season), reaching at least the semi-finals each time. In 2014, they won the CIF-SS Div. 5 title. In 2015, they lost in the semis, 9-9. 2017 turned out to be deja vu […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":11847,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[112,57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-girlstennis","category-topstories"],"yoast_head":"\n