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Laugero Earns MVP, Cougars Advance In Tennis Sections
MAYFIELD
Kaitlynn Mayfield is focused on the court during play at the SOS Club in Modesto. She teamed with Marc Ney to win the mixed doubles event in Section qualifying, and will head to Oak Park in Stockton on Thursday. - photo by John-Joel Griffiths/The Times
MARG JACKSON
Updated: May 6, 2014, 10 p.m.

Claiming the Trans-Valley League title, Escalon also got some individual honors at the TVL Tournament at the SOS Club in Modesto on Friday.

That included the girls singles crown and TVL MVP honors for sophomore Taylor Laugero, who cruised to 6-0, 6-0 (quarterfinals) and 6-0, 6-1 (semifinal) wins over Orestimba and Ripon opponents before facing off with Linda Erazo of Riverbank in the finals.

“Taylor beat Linda but it went three sets, a really good finals match,” said Escalon coach David Ortiz.

It was the first time Laugero had been pushed to three sets all season.

In boys singles play, Ashton Redberg won the quarterfinals 6-1, 6-1 over a Hughson opponent and topped Riverbank’s Nathaniel Martinez in three sets in the semifinals.

That put him into the finals against Bryce Coutrakis of Ripon and the Ripon player took the final, Redberg finishing in second place in league. Marc Ney won his qualifying round match but was defeated by TVL boys MVP Juan Alfaro of Riverbank in the quarterfinals 6-3, 6-1.

In boys doubles, the number one Escalon team of Andrew Casillas and Nick Lennon won 6-0, 6-1 in the quarterfinals over Orestimba, and went three sets to defeat their Riverbank opponents 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the final round. There, they lost to a Ripon duo 6-7, 2-6.

Girls number one doubles saw Maggie Casteel and Taylor Busch claim TVL honors, defeating a Modesto Christian team in the semifinals 6-2, 6-0 and taking down Ripon in the finals, 6-1, 6-4.

Number two boys doubles Mike Medina and Trenton Busch bowed out in the quarterfinal round against Modesto Christian, 2-6, 2-6, while girls number two doubles Clare Fitzgerald and Mia DeVecchio won in the semifinals by default and fell to Ripon in the finals, 4-6, 7-6, 5-7.

Mixed doubles saw another Escalon duo come out on top, with Trent DaDalt and Josie Redberg defeating their Hughson opponents 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinal round, taking down Ripon in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, in the finals.

Following Friday’s TVL tournament, tennis players were back on the court for the Section individual qualifying action on Saturday.

Escalon will be represented in the Thursday, May 8 sections at Oak Park in Stockton by TVL champ Laugero and by a pair of doubles teams. Busch and Casteel took second in the girls doubles (top two advance to Sections) with a three-set loss to Modesto Christian’s Ali and Jackey Stokes. Mixed doubles Marc Ney and Kaitlynn Mayfield also advance, winning three matches, defeating Orestimba in the quarterfinals 6-0, 6-0 and a Ripon duo in the semifinal round 6-0, 6-2. In the finals, New and Mayfield beat Ripon’s Ian Flanders and Maddison Flanders, 6-4, 7-5.

Of those not advancing, Escalon’s Fitzgerald and DeVecchio lost to Modesto Christian in the quarterfinal round. Boys doubles Busch and Phillip Tilbury went out in the qualifying round, while Nick Lennon teamed with Medina to advance to the semifinals, losing there to a Ripon team, 0-6, 2-6. In the mixed doubles, DaDalt and Redberg fell in the quarterfinals, 3-6, 5-7.

In addition to preparing for the individual sections at Oak Park, the Cougars team was due to host Bear River in the team section competition on Tuesday, May 6 after The Times went to press.