The Cerritos College women's tennis team had their hands full in their match against visiting Irvine Valley College on Thursday. Although they won the match, 7-2, several of the singles matches were close, as were the doubles matches. The Falcons, who improved to 3-0 on the season, will play their next four matches on the road, starting with a non-conference match at 2:00 p.m. next Tuesday at Santa Monica College.

A trio of singles matches were won in quick fashion by Cerritos, led by sophomore Anastasia Khomyachenko (Sochi, Russia), who posted a 6-0, 6-1 win in the #2 position on the ladder. She was joined by both freshman Valentina Polonyi (Altisa, Hungary) and sophomore Jovana Milosevic (High School of Business and Law (Belgrade, Serbia/Hillsborough, FL CC), who each lost just three combined games in their straight set wins.

After quick wins in their first set in singles play, freshman Tiffany Sanchez (Long Beach Wilson HS) and Danielle Pastor (Bishop Montgomery HS) were met with some resistance in their second set. Sanchez earned a 6-0 win in her first set, and outlasted Karina Ryabokonova, 6-4 in the second set. As for Pastor, she won her first set, 6-1 and was then extended to a 7-5 score in the second set by Stephanie Rand-Shorb.

Sophomore Taylor Heath (Cerritos HS) lost her first matches of the season, as she fell, 3-6, 4-6 at the top of the singles ladder and then suffered an 8-4 loss with Khomyachenko in doubles. 

SINGLES

Sarah Mae Garcia (IVC) def. Taylor Heath (CERR), 6-3, 6-4
Anastasia Khomyachenko (CERR) def. Lou Baize (IVC), 6-0, 6-1
Valentina Polonyi (CERR) def. Samantha Schwarz (IVC), 6-2, 6-1
Tiffany Sanchez (CERR) def. Karina Ryabokonova (IVC), 6-0, 6-4
Jovana Milosevic (CERR) def. Sierra Mazzarini (IVC), 6-1, 6-2
Danielle Pastor (CERR) def. Stephanie Rand-Shorb (IVC), 6-1, 7-5

DOUBLES

Sarah Mae Garcia/Samantha Schwarz (IVC) def. Taylor Heath/Anastasia Khomyachenko (CERR), 8-4
Valentina Polonyi/Tiffany Sanchez (CERR) def. Lou Baize/Samantha Paz (IVC), 8-4
Jovana Milosevic/Danielle Pastor (CERR) def. Karina Ryabokonova/Stephanie Rand-Shorb (IVC), 8-3

Photo by Elizabeth Aceves