Vaqueros rally to edge Riverside 5-4 in opener

Laura Berther and Julianna Adelman topped Gabrielle Ante and Rajina Scott 8-4 on Thursday to lift SBCC over Riverside 5-4 in the women's tennis opener for the Vaqueros.

Berther, Lesly Zapata De Lira and Adelman posted straight-set wins as the singles ended in a 3-3 tie at Riverside (1-1). Tyler Bunderson and Paige Jensen both dropped tough three-set matches with both losing 10-7 in the third-set pro tiebreaker.

After the Tigers won the No. 3 doubles, Brenna Casey and Zapata De Lira registered an 8-4 triumph at No. 1, setting the stage for Berther/Adelman.

"Nobody knew the team score in the doubles and that's the way we wanted it," said coach Randy Moharram. "It was great to compete, to play someone else and get the jitters out."

The Vaqueros return four players from last year's 11-4 squad that placed second in the WSC at 8-2. They open their 10-match conference schedule on Tuesday at Santa Monica.

Singles
1. Hana Papaco, RCC, def. Brenna Casey 6-1, 6-4
2. Laura Berther, SBCC, def. Gabrielle Ante 6-3, 6-4
3. Ellia Rosado, RCC, def. Tyler Bunderson 5-7, 6-3, (10-7 tiebreaker)
4. Lesly Zapata De Lira, SBCC, def. Ashley Bauman 6-2, 6-3
5. Nani Ngyuen, RCC, def. Paige Jensen 7-5, 6-7 (5), (10-7)
6. Julianna Adelman, SBCC, def. Rajina Schlitt 7-5, 6-2

Doubles
1. Casey/Zapata De Lira, SBCC, def. Papaco/Rosado 8-4
2. Berther/Adelman, SBCC, def. Ante/Schlitt 8-4
3. Bauman/Ngyuen, RCC, def. Bunderson/Jensen 8-3