Peninsula reigns supreme over CdM

Richard Dunn

ROLLING HILLS ESTATES - Maybe it’s not such a bad idea, after all,

that Corona del Mar High’s Sea Kings play in CIF Southern Section

Division IV this season.

In Tuesday’s showdown against perennial Division I girls tennis

powerhouse Peninsula, the host Panthers politely escorted the Sea Kings

(4-1) down to earth while extending their winning streak to 42 matches.

Ranked No. 1 in the Orange County preseason poll, Corona del Mar

absorbed a humbling 15-3 setback as Peninsula (3-0), the defending

national champion by USA Today, flexed its collective muscles in a

much-ballyhooed nonleague match between longtime rivals.

“It’s kind of weird coming out knowing you’re going to win. Today,

that’s what it was like,” Peninsula senior doubles player Brittany Fisher

said.

“We don’t know what losing feels like. When was the last time we lost

as a team?” added Jamie Pagliano, another Peninsula senior doubles

player.

Woodbridge beat Peninsula in a nonleague match two years ago, then the

Panthers avenged that loss by defeating the Warriors in the CIF Division

I finals. No one has been able to touch them since.

“They’re good. They’re always good,” said CdM Coach Andy Stewart,

whose doubles teams were swept again by the Panthers, making the Sea

Kings 0-27 in doubles the last two years against them.

Peninsula has won eight of the last nine CIF Division I titles. The

only year the Panthers didn’t capture the crown, 1997, the Sea Kings won

it. It was also the first year the USA Today recognized national

champions.

“That fried me,” Peninsula Coach Tom Cox said. “The first year we lost

the CIF title, they (awarded a mythical national champion), and they

didn’t do it all those other years when we had such great teams during

that 120-match winning streak.”

The Panthers, who return seven of 10 players from last year’s 25-0

squad, ended the suspense early with a 5-1 lead after one round against

the Sea Kings, who entered the match with high expectations and victories

over Mater Dei, Woodbridge, Santa Barbara and Villa Park.

“There are good teams, and then there’s Peninsula,” Stewart said.

“They’re a step above everybody else and they proved it today. Their

doubles are just super, and their singles are great.”

Stewart, whose goal was to achieve an undefeated season, was assured

of a loss before the third round even started. The Panthers held a

commanding (and victorious) 10-2 edge after two rounds.

“(The Sea Kings) asked to switch the date of the match, but the only

time we could’ve done it was a week in October, and it would’ve given us

four matches the week of homecoming,” said Cox, who declined to change

the date of the CdM match.

Corona del Mar, with sophomore sensation Anne Yelsey sweeping at No. 1

singles to provide the Sea Kings with their only wins against Peninsula,

is expected to have Kim Singer (shoulder injury) back next week.

Junior transfer Brittany Reitz, ranked 27th last year in Southern

California in the girls 18s when she was a sophomore at Mater Dei, will

be eligible to play for CdM on Oct. 16. Stewart was hoping to play

Peninsula with Singer and Reitz in the lineup.

“We can’t expect Anne to carry the whole team,” Stewart said. “I’m 0-3

against Peninsula and still haven’t won a doubles set yet.”

Yelsey improved to 14-1 this season with exciting victories over

Shilpa Joshi, 7-5, and Colby Comstock, 7-5, and an easy win over

Christine Setian, 6-0.

But that was all Corona del Mar, which hosts Capistrano Valley

Thursday, could manage against the Panthers. CdM’s Brittany Holland and

Juliette Mutzke were swept in singles, while all three CdM doubles teams

came up on the short end.

“We’ll be back,” Stewart said.

NONLEAGUEPeninsula 15, Corona del Mar 3Singles - Joshi (P) lost to

Yelsey, 5-7, def. Holland, 6-4, def. Mutzke, 6-0; Comstock (P) lost 5-7,

won 6-1, 6-0; Setian (P) lost 0-6, won 6-1, 6-2.Doubles - Pagliano-LaBrucherie (P) def. Fuller-Bryan, 6-2, def. Damion-Griffith,

6-2, def. Claster-Tenerelli, 7-5; Liang-Jurewitz (P) won 6-0, 6-3, 6-4;

Harkins-Fisher (P) won 6-3, 6-1, 6-3.