KELSEYVILLE — In a battle of two undefeated tennis teams, the Kelseyville Knights emerged with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the Middletown Mustangs in a Coastal Mountain Conference showdown on Tuesday in Kelseyville.
“I really think it could have gone either way,” Kelseyville coach Jeff McLaren of the outcome. “It was a great match-up.”
Three of the five matches went the maximum three sets and another — a first-doubles battle between Kelseyville”s David Ferrario and Andor Benyei and Middletown”s Jeanine Zonczynski and Chase Mannisto — went to Kelseyville on a 7-5, 6-4 decision.
Also lasting only two sets was Miriam Lane”s 6-3, 6-0 victory over Kelseyville”s Moses Kuzu in first singles.
In the other two singles matches, both going to Kelseyville, Stuart Davy beat Tyler Madsen 6-0, 6-7 (7-4), 6-2 in second singles, and Luke Kriken beat Tasha Gibbs 6-1, 6-7 (9-7), 6-0 in third singles.
“She (Gibbs) played really tough against Luke, I think she just ran out of gas in that third set,” McLaren said.
Middletown picked up its other win in second doubles as Will Phelps and Jason Candelario beat Glenn Mostin and Alex Stempe 6-3, 4-6, 10-8 (a 10-point tiebreaker was played in a lieu of a standard third set).
“Basically they were all pretty exciting,” McLaren said of the three-set matches. “Middletown always comes ready to play.”
The two schools are developing quite a rivalry, according to McLaren, who watched the Knights sweep the season series from Middletown last season en route to winning the conference title. Middletown won both meetings in 2007.
Kelseyville (7-0) is home Thursday to play Cloverdale, its final match before going on spring break next week. Middletown (6-1) hits the road Friday to play Clear Lake.
