Honkers tennis blasts Bulldogs

The Willows High girls tennis team was supposed to beat Gridley High on Tuesday and win they did, 8-1.

The doubles duo of Kaylen Wilson and Kylie Gammon ran their season record to 4-0 after beating Nicole Reis and Brittany Bumpus 8-0 in Gridley.

"Our No. 1 doubles team is still undefeated through four after beating Shasta, West Valley, Live Oak and now Gridley," Willows coach Don Byrd said. "They're playing much better than they did last year when they were partners."

Willows (2-2, 0-1 Sacramento Valley League) rebounded from a 6-3 loss to Live Oak on Aug. 25 by sweeping all three doubles matches and taking five of six singles battles.

Wilson beat Reis 6-3, 6-1 in a match which took longer than the score would indicate and Gammon sent Bumpus to the bench with a 6-1, 6-0 victory.

"My No. 1 and No. 2 far out-distance the rest of my team, they've played four years and been in the top six since they were sophomores," Byrd said. "The rest of our team is really young with the exception of my No. 6."

The Honkers' No. 6, Mackenzie Gomes, shut Emily Sormano out 6-0, 6-0; and Bisma Khan put together a dominating performance on Court 3 with a 6-0, 6-0 victory of her own against Codie Warren.

Hadiya Khan gave Willows its fifth singles victory with a 6-3, 6-3 win against Pa Thao.

Cindy Vang was on the short end of the only point Gridley scored when Joanna Teal beat her 6-3, 6-2.

"She didn't get beat because of winners," Byrd said. "She got beat because she over-hit and was consistently not getting her first serve in, but I think she'll play better because she probably has the best ground shots of anyone on our team."

Vang redeemed herself in her doubles match with Makayla Chacon, as the duo took down Bumpus and Thao, 8-4. Vang nailed several key shots during the match to help secure the victory.

With the victory in the bag after the singles matches, Byrd used the match to try out some different combinations with his second and third doubles teams.

Stephanie Carriere partnered with Bisma Khan in the No. 3 doubles match to beat Teal and Greta Hepworth 8-3.

"We need a few more matches, probably the first time through league we'll be able to figure out more of a steady doubles combination by then," Byrd said.

Results from the Honkers match against Wheatland on Thursday were not available by press time. Willows is scheduled to travel to Red Bluff on Tuesday to take on Mercy High.

Willows 8, Gridley 1

Singles

Wilson, W, d. Reis, G, 6-3, 6-1; Gammon, W, d. Bumpus, G, 6-1, 6-0; B. Khan, W, d. Warren, G, 6-0, 6-0; Teal, G, d. Vang, W, 6-3, 6-2; H. Khan, W, d. Thao, G, 6-3, 6-3; Gomes, W, d. Sormano, G, 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles

Wilson/Gammon, W, d. Reis/Warren, G, 8-0; Vang/Chacon, W, d. Bumpus/Thao, G, 8-4; B. Khan/Carriere, W, d. Teal/Hepworth, G, 8-3.

Contact Kirk Barron at 458-2121 or kbarron@tcnpress.com.