Change no help to Moreau

ALAMEDA -- Prep tennis followers witnessed a rarity last week when Mark DeCastro of Moreau Catholic High extended eventual champion Thai Tu of Alameda High to three sets in a North Coast Section boys singles quarterfinal match.

Those hoping for a rematch were left sorely disappointed Tuesday when the fifth-seeded Hornets played host to the 12th-seeded Mariners in the first round of the NCS team championships. Tu played singles for Alameda. But DeCastro shifted to doubles. Shaking up the lineup still didn't help the Mariners, who fell 6-1 to the defending champion Hornets.

"They put their four best singles players down in doubles in order to try to win the doubles and hope for a win in the fourth singles," Alameda coach Hein Tu said. "They knew for sure they weren't going to beat our first three singles."

The strategy proved fruitless, as Alameda swept the singles and won two of the doubles. That includes the No. 3 match, won by Ryan Lim and Jeffrey Li over DeCastro and Tony Lezada. Lim and Li overcame a slow start for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.

The win advances the Hornets (19-6) to a Thursday quarterfinal at home against No.4 Amador Valley, a 4-3 winner over No. 13 Montgomery- Santa Rosa.

Tournament action wraps up Saturday with semifinals and final at Heritage High.

"It's going to be hard (trying to repeat as tournament champion)," Hein Tu said. "But everybody's focused on defending the title, to give everything that they have."

Cal-bound Thai Tu easily took the first singles, 6-0, 6-0 over Derek Lee. Alameda's Kyle Johnson helped foil Moreau Catholic's plan by winning the fourth singles over Neil Enriquez 6-3, 6-3.

Alameda's Matt Elefant and Matt Yuen were Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League champions and NCS runners-up as a doubles tandem. Through most of the regular season, the two played singles. And such was the case in this match.

The plan worked well, too, as Elefant won the second singles 6- 0, 6-1 against Ian McAvoy. Yuen also did his part by beating Mussie Yehaise 6-0, 6-0 to win the No. 3 singles.

The No. 1 doubles team of David Verdeflor and Mike Berman posted Moreau Catholic's only win, a 6-2, 6-2 triumph over Thomas Tran and Nick Losande.

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