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It was 2005 the last time the Menlo School girls' tennis team won the Central Coast Section title and it has been since 2006 since the Knights reached the championship match. Those streaks could continue.

Menlo School once again has received an unfavorable (No. 4) seed into the CCS Team Tournament, which gets under way Tuesday with first-round action.

The Knights (15-7) will be in the same bracket as defending champion Monta Vista (20-0), which handed Menlo a 9-0 nonleague loss (six singles, three doubles) on Sept. 19. Should both teams win their first two matches, they'll meet in the semifinals on Nov. 11.

Only the top two teams will advance to the CIF NorCal Championships.

Monta Vista has eliminated Menlo the past two years. Before that, the Knights fell in the quarterfinals.

The section playoffs once again will use the three singles and three doubles played in a round-robin format, which makes for potentially long matches. Thus, teams will begin playing at 1:30 p.m., to prevent being halted by darkness.

Menlo-Atherton, Palo Alto and Gunn all will open on the road Tuesday. Should they advance, all three will face difficult second-round matches. Gunn, which captured the SCVAL El Camino Division title, could face Menlo on Wednesday.

CCS GIRLS' TEAM TENNIS PLAYOFFS
TUESDAY
First round
All matches at 1:30 p.m.
Crystal Springs (14-5) vs. Monterey (13-2) at Pebble Beach TC
Carlmont (13-5) at Piedmont Hills (9-6)
Menlo-Atherton (15-5) at Leland (13-1)
Burlingame (12-6) vs. San Benito (15-3) at Ridgemark GC
Palo Alto (14-8) at R.L. Stevenson in Pebble Beach (11-5)
Gunn (15-7) at Santa Catalina (12-3)
Evergreen Valley (9-3) vs. Carmel (19-1) at Carmel Valley AC
Homestead (13-6) at Aptos (12-1)

WEDNESDAY
Second round
All matches at 1:30 p.m.
Crystal Springs or Monterey at No. 6 Harker (13-2)
Carlmont or Piedmont Hills vs. No. 3 St. Francis (13-5) at Cuesta Park
Menlo-Atherton or Leland at No. 7 Lynbrook (13-5)
Burlingame or San Benito vs. No. 2 Mitty (17-2) at Decathlon Club
Palo Alto or R.L. Stevenson at No. 5 Saratoga (12-6)
Gunn or Santa Catalina at No. 4 Menlo (15-7)
Evergreen Valley or Carmel at No. 8 Los Altos (14-7)
Homestead or Aptos at No. 1 Monta Vista (20-0)

FRIDAY
Quarterfinals at higher seed sites

MONDAY, NOV. 11
Semifinals at Courtside TC or Los Gatos Racquet Club

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 14
Championship match at Courtside TC

— Palo Alto Online Sports

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