Girls tennis: REMATCH TIME

Tony Altobelli

NEWPORT BEACH - Now it’s allowed to be mentioned.

Newport Harbor High girls tennis, after knocking off Dana Hills, 12-6,

at Thursday’s CIF Southern Section Division I semifinals will get a crack

at Peninsula High one more time in the finals, set for Monday at 9 a.m.

at the Claremont Club.

“This is what we’ve talked about since we got into the playoffs,”

Coach Fletcher Olson said. “I have the feeling we will match up better

than our last matchup.”

The matchup that Olson is referring to was a Sept. 28 nonleague

matchup, where the Panthers gave Newport its only loss of the season,

11-7.

“We’re going in as the underdog,” Olson said. “I think all the

pressure is on Peninsula. We’re pretty fired up for Monday.”

As far as the semis go, sophomore Natalie Braverman and senior Audra

Adams continued their usual domination in singles play, each sweeping

their sets, while on the doubles side, Kristen Case and Jenny Meyer won

18 out of 21 games played to win, 6-0, 6-0, 6-3.

Braverman won, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2, while Adams won, 6-4, 6-4, 6-1.

In Adams’ first set against Chelsey Thompson, she managed to overcome

a 4-3 deficit to win the final three games for the win.

But perhaps the biggest match for the Sailors (19-1 and seeded No. 2

in Division I), was the No. 3 doubles team of Sarah Barker and Allison

Schneider in their second-set matchup with the Dolphins’ No. 2 team of

Jenny Dubaw and Kristin Bronowicki.

The senior team overcame a 5-2 deficit to win its second set, 7-5.

“If they don’t come back from that, we’re tied at six sets apiece

going into the third switch,” Olson said. “Instead, we go up, 7-5, and we

carried that momentum into the final round. It was a great win for them.”

For Dolphins Coach Jim Wilson, his team hung tough early, but could

not find a way to knock off the Sailors.

“If you were gonna tell me we were going to finish 20-3 and reach the

CIF semifinals, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Wilson said. “I’m very

proud of the girls today. Newport is a very deep team and we just seemed

to lose our momentum and focus as the match progressed.”

Senior Chelsea Godbey, after a couple of tough setbacks in her two

opening sets, managed to knock off Dana Hills’ No. 1 singles player Kate

Romm, 7-6.

“It was nice to see her bounce back like that,” Olson said. “It

probably helped to play Kate after she took on Natalie and Audra, but

taking nothing away from Chelsea. She played great against her.”

Will the early finals matchup make a difference for either team in

Monday’s finals? Olson doesn’t think so.

“That’s how it’s been each year,” Olson said. “We’ll meet at school at

6 a.m., have breakfast, drive down there and check in by 8:30. After the

match, we’ll go to Pacific Park and ride the cars to say goodbye to the

seniors, so it’ll be fun.”

CIF-SS DIVISION I SEMIFINALS

Newport Harbor 12, Dana Hills 6 Singles: Braverman (NH) def. Romm, 6-2, def. Thompson, 6-1, def.

Pooler, 6-2; Adams (NH) won, 6-4, 6-4, 6-1; Godbey (NH) won, 7-6, lost,

1-6, 3-6.

Doubles: Case-Meyer (NH) def. Reames-Calton, 6-0, def.

Dubaw-Bronowicki, 6-0, def. Barish-Wilson, 6-3; Collopy-Hawkins (NH)

lost, 6-7, 4-6, won, 7-6; Barker-Schneider (NH) lost, 6-7, won, 7-5,

lost, 3-6.