GIRLS TENNIS: CATALINA FOOTHILLS STILL UNDEFEATED

March 22, 2016 by Andy Morales, AZPreps365


Abby Watson (Andy Morales/AZPreps365.com)

Catalina Foothills swept Salpointe Monday in an important Division II girl's tennis match heading into the first power rankings of the season to be released on Wednesday. The Falcons are 6-0 overall and 3-0 in Section VII while the Lancers fell to 6-1 and 2-1.

Even more, Catalina Foothills has only given up one point in six matches and it just might be the only one given up in the regular season.

Head coach Kristie Stevens has guided Catalina Foothills to 13 state champions since 2000. Her incredible run includes a semifinal finish in 2008, a second place finish in 2012 and another second place finish last year.

Abby Watson hopes return the Falcons to top of the medal stand this May, especially since Arcadia has moved up to D-I, but other teams such as Notre Dame (4-0) are also expected to be ranked highly on Wednesday.

"It's definitely an honor to be leading an amazing team like ours," Watson said. "I worked very hard to be in that position."

Only a sophomore, Watson was on the second court as a freshman last year behind her doubles partner Kirtana Bhat. The duo won the state title last year but Bhat is now a freshman at Central Oklahoma.

"I want to be ready to play some good tennis this year heading into state," Watson added. "We are very strong as a team and we are deep. We will always give our best effort."

On the other side, Salpointe has won nine titles with the last coming in 2011. The Lancers made it to the semifinal round in 2012 and in 2013 and the quarterfinals the last two years. Senior standout Isabella Anaya has been an important piece of the team's success.

Anaya started her career out on the sixth court but, just like Watson, she has worked her way to the top of the roster where she is playing now.

"We are doing really well except for today," Anaya explained. "We've been strong in our matches and I'm really having a lot of fun."

Caroline Amos was the state singles champion last year but the former Salpointe standout is now playing for Yale. Anaya, along with her doubles partner Hailey Swanson, are ready to fill the void left by Amos.

"I've grown a lot since I was a freshman," Anaya added. "I'm really proud of what I have accomplished."