The Palo Alto High School boys’ tennis team is preparing for the third round in the Central Coast Section playoffs after triumphing over Los Gatos, 5-2, yesterday.

“The team played great tennis, and I’m glad they won,” Head Coach Andy Harader said.

The key matches were pulled out by junior David Plotkin at number-three singles, sophomores Sam Wong and Dan Schwartz at number-two and four singles, respectively, and senior Jason Mah and sophomore Philip Homnack at number-three doubles.

While junior Kushal Tantry, who was playing number-one singles, was struggling in his second set after losing the first, Wong won his second set after struggling early. Plotkin managed to crush his opponent 6-0, 6-0 and earned the first point for the Vikings.

“My opponent seemed good but I was playing really well,” Plotkin said. “When I’m on my game, I simply dominate.”

Soon after Plotkin’s success, Tantry stepped off the court after a devastating loss, 1-6,2-6, against Steven Stege, who is currently ranked 12th in Northern California and 82nd in the country.

“He was way better than what I expected him to be,” Tantry said.

Meanwhile, seniors Kyle Shulman and Matt Severson, along with sophomores Alan Chen and Cory McCroskey, lost their first sets for number-one and two doubles, respectively. As these teams have given solid performance throughout the season, Harader was “a bit surprised [about their struggles],” and Paly supporters started to get worried.

Schwartz, Mah, and Homnack, however, brought optimism for Harader and the supporters. Schwartz dominated with a score of 6-0, 6-1, and Mah and Homnack won their match with room to spare, 6-1, 6-1.

The overall score after four matches was 3-1, and the Vikings needed just one more win to clinch the victory. It was Wong who earned a 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 victory, winning the Vikings a third round ticket in the CCS playoffs.

Wong continually put pressure on his opponent, causing him to break apart during the second set. Tantry said during the match: “This guy [Wong’s opponent] is done.” The opponent frequently made avoidable mistakes, and Wong dominated the rest of the match.

“It was a really tough match, but I pulled it out in the end,” Wong said. “He had one of the biggest forehands I’ve ever seen, so I’m happy with how I played.”

Tantry added: “I have never seen Sam play so well before.”

Although the Vikings celebrated their victory outside the courts, the intense competitions at number one and two doubles went on. Chen and McCroskey, after a 4-6 first set loss, managed to push their opponents to tiebreakers in the second set. However, the wildcats stayed firm and won the tiebreakers by a score of 7-2. Shulman and Severson finished their match last with a late comeback victory, keeping their winning streak alive.

Having lost twice against Los Gatos Wildcats (9-12 overall) in past CCS playoffs, the fifth-seeded Vikings (21-2 overall) expected a very tough match. The Wildcats not only finished their season in third in the De Anza Division – the upper division which Paly dropped out of last year – but also shattered their first round opponent with a 7-0 blowout, when the Vikings had a bye. Although the Vikings won only one match in last year’s rebuilding season, with yesterdays 5-2 win against the Wildcats, the Vikings proved themselves to be strong enough to play in Division I for next year.

“It was a great match, and both teams fought hard,” Los Gatos Head Coach Todd Dissly said. “I’m very disappointed, but we had a great season.”

The Vikings will serve against fourth-seeded Bellarmine High School (21-2 overall) next Monday, at the Decathlon club at 2:30 p.m..

Harader is keeping low expectations for the next match, however, he believes the Vikings might be able to win after performing well in a brilliant season.

“Realistically, we have about 15 percent chance of winning, but you never know,” Harader said. “These guys have been fighting hard all season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we beat them.”

Plotkin added: “It will be really tough match, so everyone is going to have to play at 150 percent.”