Nick Pecoraro
Sports Editor
It’s championship season in the arena of tennis.
City College qualified three players for the women’s state tournament, which begins April 25 at Ventura College. Denise Mosciatti qualified for singles competition after reaching the Big 8 Conference semifinals during the first weekend in April. Liliya Guslistova and Steffi Campos qualified in the doubles bracket for the Panthers.
City finished the regular season with three wins and seven losses, including two victories over Cosumnes River College and one over Reedley College.
Mosciatti was the Panthers’ most consistent player during the regular season, posting a 5-5 record from the No. 1 position in singles competition.
Head coach David Griffin says the fact that Mosciatti did so well is incredible, considering that she hadn’t played competitive tennis in nearly seven years. She got back into the sport after she signed up for Griffin’s tennis class on campus in September. It was intended to be recreational, but Griffin was so impressed with her natural athleticism that he made her an offer.
“(Griffin) asked if I wanted to join the team, and I said, ‘Why not?’” said Mosciatti. “But I never thought I would get here to this point.”
The point that Mosciatti has reached comes with extremely high praise from the coach she never knew she would have entering City College.
“Sixteen years, undoubtedly the best female athlete I’ve ever had on the court,” said Griffin. “She’s special… She’s strong. She’s quick. She’s in control of her emotions. She learns very rapidly. She’s a 4.0 student. High GPA and learning fast in athletics don’t necessarily dovetail.”
Griffin said that Mosciatti has the physical tools to do well in the tournament and could probably excel in any sport that she tries.
“Her hands are incredible. She’s powerful with incredible touch,” said Griffin. “I doubt she’s ever played basketball, but I would bet she could walk out there and figure it out. She could probably join the soccer team and be the best player on the team.”
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After compiling the fewest amount of doubles wins on the team throughout the regular season, Campos and Guslistova flipped a switch at the Big 8 Tournament. Their fluidity on the court was one that Griffin said he hadn’t seen all season from his No. 2 pair.
“For the first time, they played with some energy and they played together,” said Griffin. “They’ve had some surprising matches where they were down and came back and won. It’s that togetherness.”
Their efforts qualified both of them for the state tournament at Ojai. However, Guslistova said she will not compete because of prior engagements. Instead, Mosciatti will step in as Campos’ partner in doubles action.
“It’s really important to have a good relationship between partners,” said Campos. “With Lily, I played with her all season. We had a way of getting comfortable. With Denise, it’s another person, so you try to do the same thing with her. Strengthen the bond. That’s all that matters.”
Campos said that although she won’t be with her regular doubles partner, she’s not complaining about her new one.
“I really admire Denise because she’s a lot tougher than me,” said Campos. “She’s someone who I want to be as a tennis player.”
Mosciatti had four doubles wins over the regular season between partners Raquel Palma and Jordyn Kennedy. She knows the challenges that come with the transition from singles to doubles competition.
“It’s like another sport, honestly,” said Mosciatti. “(The chemistry) is fundamental… Sometimes it just clicks, you know?”
The Ojai Tennis Tournament, which has been an annual tennis tradition since 1896, begins April 24 at various sites of the Ojai Valley Tennis Club. Ojai hosts competitors ranging from junior high age all the way to athletes from the Pac-12 Conference.
Women’s Community College doubles action starts April 25 at nearby Ventura College while singles competition begins April 26, according to the Ojai website. The finals of the community college competition will be held April 29 at the Ojai Valley Athletic Club.
For more info on SCC women’s tennis, visit www.sccpanthers.losrios.edu/sports/wten.
