Clovis West girls are top tennis seed

Clovis West’s girls tennis team — unbeaten against Central Section opposition this season — was rewarded with the No. 1 seed for the Division I playoffs.

Also earning No. 1 seeds were Clovis North (D-II), Immanuel (D-III), Bakersfield Christian (D-IV), Fowler (D-V) and Orange Cove (D-VI). The team playoffs begin today with 13 matches, including the D-VI final between Orange Cove and No. 2 McFarland.

Clovis West, which lost 5-4 in the D-I final last season at Buchanan, opens its playoff run at home Thursday against the winner of today’s match between No. 9 Clovis and No. 8 Memorial.

The Golden Eagles have defeated eight teams in the D-I bracket this season, with only 10th-seeded Redwood not one of Clovis West’s victims.

In a flip-flop of the seedings from last season, defending D-I champion Buchanan was given the No. 2 seed and opens Thursday against either No. 7 Liberty or No. 10 Redwood.

Clovis North will look for its first girls tennis title in a division sans last season’s champion (Garces) and runner-up (Redwood), both promoted into D-I this year.

Immanuel seeks its fifth straight section title in a new division, having been promoted from D-IV. Bakersfield Christian is also a defending section champion, winning D-V last season. Fowler was the D-V runner-up last season.

Individual tennis seeds set

As expected, Bakersfield Christian’s Chelby Cooke received the No. 1 singles seed for the section individual tournament, which starts Friday in Bakersfield.

The top doubles seed went to Memorial’s Robin Draper and Sydney Perotti.

Cooke, who was the section runner-up last season to sister Lyndsey, tops a field that also includes No. 2 Gracie Jacobs of Garces, No. 3 Pookie Gonzalez of Bullard, No. 4 Nancy Ramirez of East and No. 5 Claire Jaramishian of Bullard.

Gonzalez was a part of last season’s doubles championship team with Ashley Valdez.

The rest of the top 10 singles seeds, in order, are: Alyx Fena, Clovis West; Jasmine Zaragoza, Sunnyside; Gretel D’Souza, Clovis; Leah Stewart, Stockdale; and Jasmine Martinez, Monache.

Following the Draper/Perotti team in a doubles field without a returning champion are: Lily Schuler and Carolyn Stevens, Bakersfield Christian; Kathryn Ashford and Megan Lee, Buchanan; Zoe Tucker and Crimson Hochhalter, Garces; Tayler Piearcy and Kristen Lampe, Clovis West; Chloe Kim and Aneesa Chowdhury, Stockdale; Selah McFall and Marisa Statton, Immanuel; Jimmi Futrell and Kim Butler, Bakersfield Christian; Crystal Ruiz and Merica Jizmejian, Clovis East; and Betsy Lauritzen and Annabelle Beecher, Memorial.

Singles play begins at 9 a.m. Saturday at Bakersfield High, with the doubles tournament starting simultaneously at Bakersfield’s In-Shape City.

The tournament continues Nov. 5-6 at In-Shape City.

By Nick Giannandrea / The Fresno Bee