Laguna suffers ‘humbling’ loss

The 2010 season came to an end Wednesday for the Laguna Beach girls’ tennis team, which fell, 13-5, to visiting Woodbridge in a first-round CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoff match.

Laguna, champion of the Orange Coast League, picked up three points in singles play and two more in doubles. Woodbridge took the opening round, 6-0 and the second round, 5-1. The Breakers took the third round, 4-2.

The Breakers’ No. 1 singles player, Taylor Nederlander, won two of three, rallying from a 5-2 deficit to edge the Warriors’ No. 2 player, Kylie Peek (7-6) before blanking No. 3 Noor Schopers (6-0). Nederlander, a sophomore, fell 6-0 to No.1 Mayo Hibi.

Woodbridge, the No. 3 team from the Pacific Coast League, advances to face Mission League champ Harvard-Westlake on Saturday.

Laguna coach Alec Horton called Wednesday’s defeat a “humbling experience” for the team.

“I think we could have competed better,” Horton said. “Nonetheless, Woodbridge was a little deeper than we were. They were ready to compete and play.”

Laguna, which won the Orange Coast League regular season title, dominated the league finals tournament Nov. 4 on the Laguna courts.

In singles play, Nederlander swept Tawnie Yeaw of Calvary Chapel, 6-0, 6-0, and the Breakers’ Claire Jaeger swept Laurel Hinson of Estancia, 6-0, 6-1, to set up an all-Laguna final.

In the final, No. 1 Nederlander defeated No. 2 Jaeger, 6-1, 6-2.

Laguna also placed three teams in the doubles’ semifinals and all three went on to take the top three spots.

In one semifinal, Laguna’s No. 1 team of Haley Moss/Bianca Sganga defeated teammates Parker Poche’/Lia Berger, 6-2, 6-0. In the other semifinal, Breakers Kate McMahon/Aislin Elkin held off Christy Brown/Erin O’Neil of Estancia, winning 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.

In the doubles final, Moss/Sganga defeated McMahon/Elkin, 6-1, 6-0. Poche’/Berger won the third-place match over Brown/O’Neil, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

The Breakers will compete at the CIF individual tournament Nov. 19 at either Corona del Mar High or Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach, Horton said. Nederlander and Jaeger will compete in singles competition and Moss/Sganga and McMahon/Elkin in doubles play.