South Placer Girls' Tennis roundup: Thunder, Timberwolves and Vikings off to strong starts in their respective leagues

There are about two weeks remaining in the regular season for girls' high school tennis and multiple high school teams are still in contention for league titles with just a few matches left to play. Here is a look at how all local teams and players are performing. Sierra Foothill League Rocklin High defeated the Whitney Wildcats 6-3 on Sept. 29 to remain in second place in the Sierra Foothill League. The Thunder went 3-3 in singles matches, but won all three doubles matches. They have been led by senior Erin Johnson, who is 8-3 in matches all season and won 6-0, 6-0 against Whitney High. She had a very good junior season last year as well, finishing 19-3 and helping the Thunder to a section title. "I've been working on a variety of different shots and have been working with Coach Dale Eckenberg to mix it up a bit," Johnson said. "Today, I was able to stay consistent and read her body language and movements. My biggest individual goal is to just stay consistent." Junior Nica Sobrepena has also performed well at 7-3 and won her match against Whitney High in two sets. In doubles, the Thunder have two strong duos. The first are seniors Audrey Watkins and Kennedy Weir, who are currently 7-1, and the second are juniors Anika Madan and Jessica Wagner at 7-2. Rocklin High will play Folsom High on Thursday, after press time. The Lady Wildcats are 4-4, following their loss against the Thunder, and have one league victory over Folsom High. They are led by freshman Alexandra Nguyen, who is 6-1 with her only loss coming against Sobrepena. Whitney High also has sophomore Anannya Gairola and junior Tanvi Das, who are both 5-3 while Zara Begic is 5-2. The duo of freshman Madeline Heap and junior Bella Widrin is 5-3 in doubles competition. Whitney's next match will come against Del Oro High on Thursday, after press time, before facing Folsom High at home on Tuesday. The Golden Eagles are 5-3 on the season, following a 5-4 win against Granite Bay High on Sept. 29. Del Oro High has a number of girls who have played very well in matches, including Neeka Abadi, Ashley Roland and Katlyn Perry. Abadi and Roland are both 7-1 while Perry is 6-1 on the season. Freshman Avery Phillips also has a solid record of 6-2. Del Oro High is currently third in the league at 3-2 with five matches remaining. Following their match against Whitney, the Golden Eagles will face Oak Ridge at home on Tuesday. The Lady Grizzlies dropped to 3-4 with the loss to Del Oro but have two wins over Folsom and Whitney in Sierra Foothill League play. While they have struggled in singles action, the Grizzlies are 10-4 in doubles competition and are led by senior Alisha Bansil and junior Anna Yu at 3-1 while Haley Garrett and Melina Kim are 3-0. Granite Bay High will face Oak Ridge High on Thursday, after press time, and will play Rocklin away on Tuesday. Capital Valley Conference The Woodcreek Lady Timberwolves are coming off of winning the Division II Sac-Joaquin Section title in 2021 and are undefeated in the Capital Valley Conference following a 9-0 win against Bella Vista on Tuesday. Woodcreek High is led by junior Mikah Yu, who is 12-3 and won her match 6-0, 6-2 on Tuesday. Yu finished last season 18-1 and was the runner-up in the league singles' tournament. "Last season, my serves weren't very consistent but I've been working on them in practice and I've also improved my approach shots," Yu said. "Overall, I think I'm the best at taking the ball early, which takes my opponents off guard because a lot of times they'll run one way and then I'll put it behind them." Junior Autumn Holmes has also played well at 10-1. The Timberwolves' doubles teams are a combined 38-16 and have been led by seniors Isabella McCarty and Sophie Pelzman. They will play their next match against Inderkum on Thursday, after press time, before traveling to Antelope on Tuesday. Roseville High is 7-5 and is second in the league after a 6-3 win against Antelope on Tuesday. The Lady Tigers faced Woodcreek High on Sept. 29 and narrowly lost 5-4. Junior Rachael Pabor has played well in singles action at 7-5 and Roseville High is dominating in doubles competition at 29-5 with the duo of senior Grace Aubin and junior Naomi Liller leading the way at 9-2. The Tigers face River Valley on Thursday, after press time, and will face Woodcreek High at home on Wednesday in a match that could decide the Capital Valley Conference. Foothill Valley League Oakmont High and Placer High split the season series and the Foothill Valley League title last year and enter this season as the two league favorites once again. The two met for the first time this season on Wednesday at Sierra College, with the Vikings edging the Hillmen in a 5-4 victory. Number-one singles player Jordan Cheng had a massive win for the Vikings, taking the decisive tiebreaker set 10-8 over reigning Foothill Valley League MVP Michelle Schwarzenberg to give the Vikings the victory. "It was a back and forth nailbiter type match," said Oakmont High coach Lane Bacchi. "Jordan was cramping in her calf muscle in the third set tiebreak but managed to edge her opponent. She showed true mental toughness and grit and I could not be more proud of her." Oakmont High controlled the singles matches, taking five of the six. Placer High had a clean sweep of the doubles but it was not enough to overcome the deficit. Oakmont High is back in action Thursday when it faces West Park High on the road. The West Park Panthers are third in the Foothill Valley League at 3-2, following a 9-0 victory over Lincoln High on Tuesday. Sophomore Isabelle Rabas is playing well in singles competition at 4-3 while the duo of Abigail Dehrer and Alana Steers is 2-1 in doubles action. West Park High will face off against Nevada Union High on the road Tuesday.