The Cerritos College men's tennis team opened the Southern California Regional Team Playoffs with a resounding 5-1 win over San Diego Mesa College on Tuesday. The Falcons (18-5), seeded #3 for the playoffs, will now travel to #2-seeded College of the Desert (13-0) next Tuesday in the semi-finals. The Roadrunners defeated #7-seeded Riverside City College, 5-1 to advance to the next round.
After winning two of the three doubles matches, Cerritos closed out the day by winning three straight singles matches to clinch the team victory. At the top of the doubles ladder, sophomore Nathan Eshmade (Kings Baptist, Australia HS) and freshman Amadi Kagoma (Malezi School, Kenya HS) registered an easy 8-1 win, while the pairing of Mark Herrera (Bosco Tech HS) and Milos Zoric (Gimnazjia Indijija, Serbia HS) battled to an 8-6 victory.
Kagoma (6-1, 6-2) and freshman Sheldon Hseih (Long Beach Poly HS), who won, 6-1, 6-3, made quick work of their opponents. The match was clinched when freshman Nicholas Simonelli (Long Beach Wilson HS) dispatched Carlos Reyes, 6-2, 6-3. Cerritos earned wins in the first set of two other singles matches that weren't finished, while they were tied in the other.
SINGLES
Nathan Eshmade (CERR) leading James Tenbroeck (SDM), 6-4, 1-1 (unfinished)
Amadi Kagoma (CERR) def. Jesse Donahue (SDM), 6-1, 6-2
Nicholas Simonelli (CERR) def. Carlos Reyes (SDM), 6-2, 6-3
Mark Herrera (CERR) leading Tommy Troung (SDM), 6-3, 5-3 (unfinished)
Milos Zoric tied Nikolai Rudamentkin (SDM), 6-6 (unfinished)
Sheldon Hseih (CERR) def. Daniel Streeter (SDM), 6-1, 6-3
DOUBLES
Nathan Eshmade/Amadi Kagoma (CERR) def. James Tenbroeck/Djori Weekes (SDM), 8-1
Mark Herrera/Milos Zoric (CERR) def. Nikolai Rudamentkin/Shane Fisher (SDM), 8-6
Carlos Reyes/Tommy Troung (SDM) def. Nicholas Simonelli/Sheldon Hseih (CERR), 8-5
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL TEAM PLAYOFF RESULTS
#1 Irvine Valley def. #8 Grossmont, 5-1
#2 College of the Desert def. #7 Riverside City, 5-1
#3 Cerritos def. #6 San Diego Mesa, 5-1
#4 Mt. San Jacinto def. #5 Glendale, 5-3
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL TEAM PLAYOFFS - ROUND 2
#1 Irvine Valley (15-2) vs. #4 Mt. San Jacinto (14-5)
#2 College of the Desert (13-0) vs. #3 Cerritos (18-5)
Photos by Daryl Peterson
