The culmination of the Central Section girls tennis season arrived Saturday afternoon for a handful of local players — Stockdale High singles players Abigail Eao and Jordan Li and doubles teams, Kara Campoy and Emily Cove of Liberty and Garces’ Cianna Antongiovanni and Paisley Crider.

All six players competed in the conclusion of the section individuals championship tournament, played at Garces High.

Each singles player and doubles team had their own challenges to face.

Campoy and Cove, the No. 1 seeded doubles team, came away with the section title on the strength of a semifinal win over Lompoc’s Rianna Stouppe and Mia Jansen, 6-3, 6-0 and then overcoming a tough opening set in the title match with Sanger’s Haley Delgado and Hannah Rusconi, to win 7-6 (5), 6-1.

It was Campoy’s third time competing in the section tournament. She was third her freshman year in doubles, she had to miss the tournament sophomore year due to a club soccer commitment, was second in doubles last year and now has the title to close out her senior year.

“This title means a lot to me and Emily,” Campoy said.

Liberty’s head coach, Chris Campoy, is Kara Campoy’s grandfather. Emily, she said, has been a childhood friend since they were in kindergarten together.

“To do this with both of them is the best feeling I could ever have,” she said.

Grandfather Campoy, who is also a longtime tennis instructor with the North of the River recreation program, has been an inspiration for her granddaughter’s love for tennis.

“The biggest lesson I’ve learned from him is to enjoy the sport, play for yourself and don’t stress about the outside stuff. I think he’s made the game fun and exciting for me. Taking the stress away has led me here.”

Cove, who plays club soccer with Campoy, and they’ve been teammates on Liberty’s recent string of CIF girls soccer championship teams, enjoyed the tennis portion of their friendship. They won the South Yosemite River doubles title earlier this season and now they have a section doubles title to bookend the season.

“It’s really special to play with Kara,” Cove said. “It’s so much fun. I’ve been honored to be her doubles partner and get this dub (win).”

In singles, Eao and Li both faced a true freshman phenom in Yuktaa Pandit from Clovis West. Eao and Li, two catalysts for Stockdale’s Division I team championship on Nov. 12, each lost to Pandit on Saturday. Li lost, 6-3, 6-0, in the semifinal and Eao, the defending section individuals singles champion, fell, 6-2, 7-5.

Eao’s loss, in many ways, was a source of improvement. The senior was facing Pandit for the third time this season since learning about her. When they scrimmaged the first time, Pandit on 6-2, 6-1. When Stockdale and Clovis West met in the Division I semifinals, Pandit won, 6-2, 6-2. Getting at least closer to Pandit in the second set on Saturday was progress. Eao even led the set on a few occasions.

“When I heard about this freshman player who was really, really good, I was a little worried and wondered how’s she’s going to play,” Eao said. “I wasn’t prepared to face her the first time. After playing her, she’s definitely the strongest player I’ve played against in high school tennis. The second time we played, it was a little rocky and I didn’t play so well. This time, I played a lot better.”

Pandit’s serving “was difficult to return,” Eao said. “I’d try to spin it back and get it back, deep in the middle. During rallies, she’d push me to the corners and I had trouble popping the ball back in the air.”

Eao said her own first serve was on point in the second set, enabling her to get some points and find ways to give her confidence during the match.

“I used my first serve more and placed it in corners that made it more difficult for her to return. I tried to move the ball around more,” Eao said.

Eao, runner-up in the finals, was still happy with her season. She helped the Mustangs to a section team title, the team traveled to Claremont Friday and competed in the CIF Southern California regional tournament — a 7-0 first-round loss to No. 1 seed Corona del Mar — and then returned to play quality opponents on Saturday. In her semifinal, Eao defeated Clovis East’s Jaden Pantalinghug, 6-1, 6-2. The semifinal match was a rematch of the 2024 section individuals singles final.

“It’s been an awesome time,” Eao said. “I’m happy with this season because we accomplished so much.”

Li and the Antongiovanni-Crider team, following their respective semifinal losses, played third-place matches. Li lost to Pantalinghug, 7-6 (11-9 tiebreaker), 6-3 for fourth place. Antongiovanni and Crider, who lost their semifinal match to Sanger’s Delgado and Rusconi, 6-1, 6-3, claimed the third-place medals with a three-set victory, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 over Stouppe and Jansen.