Clovis North captures fourth straight tennis Valley Championship

Clovis North Girls Tennis team has won four consecutive Valley titles. (Photo courtesy of Michelle Cardot)

It has become old hat now, winning championships for the Clovis North girls tennis team.

But that doesn’t mean that the taste of victory is any less sweet.

The Broncos got to experience that taste once again with its 6-0 victory over visiting Garces on Tuesday in the final of the Central Section Division I playoffs for their fourth straight Valley singles title.

“The first thought that came to mind is that the girls earned it,” Broncos coach Bryan Juinio said about how he felt after the final point. “Everybody talks about the practice put into it and the hard work and sweat and the people deserving a championship, but you still have to go out there and earn it.”

Deserving might be an understatement. The Broncos took down a Garces squad that came into Tuesday’s final on a 14-match win streak, allowing it to secure the No. 2 seed. However, he 22-1 Broncos had an 18-game winning streak on their own, setting up a battle of the clear two best team in the Valley.

And even though the Broncos were the three-time defending Valley champs, the feelings of uneasiness didn’t elude the players, despite having already beaten Garces twice in the regular season.

“I thought my girls started a little bit tight, and I thought the other team started tight too. We just had to get into the flow of the match and I just felt like once our girls settled down, they came through with flying colors.”

Next up for the Broncos is the state regional playoffs, which will begin Nov. 19.

Michael graduated from Fresno State in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in print journalism. During his time at the university, he served as sports and managing editor for The Collegian, Fresno State’s student-run newspaper. In addition to the Clovis Roundup, Michael has written for The Fresno Bee, the Kingsburg Recorder and Selma Enterprise. He has a passion for sports and can be found on the sidelines at local games, bringing the citizens of Clovis the athletics news they deserve.