Sage content with fourth place

NEWPORT BEACH — The Prep Invitational girls’ tennis tournament has its name because the field consists of eight private prep schools.

But, for tournament host Sage Hill School, the competition which ended Saturday is the latest step in helping “prep” the Lightning for another tournament: the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs.

That’s not until November, but Coach A.G. Longoria knows the experience his team gains playing teams like The Bishop’s School of La Jolla and Chadwick of Palos Verdes is invaluable.

So, to that end, there was no disappointment Saturday as the Lightning lost to Bishop’s, 5-4, in the tournament semifinals before falling to Chadwick, 5-4, in the third-place match at the Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club. Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas defeated The Bishop’s for the championship.

Sage Hill senior team captain Danielle Goodman said she designed the shirts for the tournament, in its second year. She also crafted a couple of pretty good matches against Bishop’s. She won in singles in the eight-game pro-set, 8-3, then teamed with sophomore Niki Cochran for an 8-5 victory in doubles.

The pairing also won in doubles against Chadwick.

Goodman said she feels that all of Sage Hill’s tournament play this year — the Lightning also won the SCTA First-Serve tournament three weeks ago and their own Lightning Invitational the next week — will only make Sage better.

Even if it hampers a social schedule a little bit.

“[It’s] pretty much every weekend,” Goodman said with a laugh. “My friends were like, ‘Can we go to the beach on Saturday?’ and I said, ‘No, I have another tennis tournament.’ Then they were like, ‘Tennis is taking over your life.’

“But it’s good sportsmanship for us to host these tournaments. They’re not teams that we would play in our league or play normally, so it’s good practice.”

Against The Bishop’s School, which advanced to the CIF San Diego Section Division III semifinals a year ago, Sage Hill was also short-handed. Julia Blakeley, who usually plays No. 1 singles, competed in the tournament Friday but was at a USTA juniors tournament in Northridge on Saturday.

The defending tournament champion Lightning could have used her in the format, which allows players to compete in both singles and doubles and features six singles matches and three doubles matches.

Sage was also missing starters Isa-Marie Taskinen (knee injury) and Laney Tucker (prior commitment). By the time the singles sets were over in the semifinal, The Bishop’s School had already built up an insurmountable 5-1 lead, although junior Sarah Choi and sophomore Samantha Murray narrowly missed singles wins for Sage.

Murray staved off three match points in her match with the Knights’ Megan Keiffer before finally falling, 8-6. But Choi and Murray would come back for singles wins against Chadwick.

“We’re tough, but we’re not very deep this year,” said Longoria of his Lightning, ranked No. 2 in the CIF Southern Section Division IV rankings. “We have to have everyone here.”

Jaclyn Smrecek knows this. When she was playing at No. 1 doubles last year, Sage’s depth was something that could be taken for granted.

As the only returning starter from a year ago, though, the junior said she was impressed by how much her team is improving.

“I just had no clue what was going to happen,” Smrecek said. “I mean, our JV team [from last year] is basically our team now. But most of them, for not playing in the off-season, we’re doing really well. We’re getting better every day; we’re definitely improving.”

Smrecek made the all-tournament team for Sage Hill.

Prep Invitational

Semifinal

Bishop’s 5, Sage Hill 4

Singles – Smrecek (SH) lost to Cox, 2-8; Moore (SH) lost to Alexander, 1-8; Cochran (SH) lost to Johnston, 4-8; Goodman (SH) def. Falk, 8-3; Choi (SH) lost to Pham, 7-8 (4-7); Murray (SH) lost to Keiffer, 6-8.

Doubles – Smrecek-Shah (SH) def. Abed-Guinea, 8-2; Smart-Moore (SH) def. Peluso-Martin, 8-5; Goodman-Cochran (SH) def. Kearney-Booth, 8-7.

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or by e-mail at [email protected].