Women's Tennis Opens Season with Win

The Pirates' women's tennis team opened the 2026 campaign with a solid 7-2 victory over visiting Santa Monica Tuesday afternoon at the VC Tennis Center. Chandra Padua and Isabella DeRosa helped lead the way with a doubles win together and individual singles wins. Ella Morgan and Isabella Avila made their Pirate debut winning in doubles and singles in the Western State Conference triumph.

Padua and DeRosa started the day off with an 8-0 sweep in No. 2 doubles. Morgan and Avila finished off doubles play with a close 9-7 victory in the No. 3 slot. Kira Branson and Dulce Contreras narrowly fell in No. 1 doubles in a tiebreaker, 9-8 (4), preventing the VC sweep.

In singles play, Padua was the first to win with a 6-1, 6-1 triumph in the No. 3 match, followed by DeRosa's 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 5 singles. Avila clinched the win for the Pirates with a 6-3, 6-1 victory in No. 6 singles and Contreras won in No. 2 singles, 6-1, 6-4. Morgan finished off the day with a hard-fought 6-3, 6-7 (4), 10-6 three-set thriller.

VC next travels to Los Angeles Mission on Thursday Feb. 5 for a 2:00 pm WSC match with the Eagles before returning home to play Fullerton on Friday Feb. 6.  

Ventura 7, Santa Monica 2

Doubles
1. Kira Branson/Dulce Contreras (VC) lost to Yulia Klokova/Sarah Ashby (SMC), 9-8 (4)
2. Chandra Padua/Isabella DeRosa (VC) def. Victoria White/Sofia Magdaleno (SMC), 8-0
3. Ella Morgan/Isabella Avila (VC) def. Samantha Karns/Helene Lambret (SMC), 9-7

Order of Finish:  2, 1, 3

Singles
1. Branson (VC) lost to Klokova (SMC), 6-1, 6-2
2. Contreras (VC) def. Ashby (SMC), 6-1, 6-4
3. Padua (VC) def. Karns (SMC), 6-1, 6-1
4. Morgan (VC) def. Magdaleno (SMC), 6-3, 6-7 (4), 10-6
5. DeRosa (VC) def. White (SMC), 6-1, 6-2
6. Avila (VC) def. Lambret (SMC), 6-3, 6-1

Order of Finish: 3, 1, 5, 6, 2, 4