Girls’ tennis: League showdowns loom
The University High girls’ tennis team has been simply dominant in the Pacific Coast League, winning 53 straight league matches headed into this week.
The Trojans, five-time defending league champions, have not lost in league since Oct. 28, 2009, when they fell to a Corona del Mar team that was then led by seniors Melissa Matsuoka and Hailey Hogan.
This year, though, the Sea Kings appear to have the firepower to put that streak in jeopardy.
The rivals will meet for the first time in league on Thursday at University High. They’re close in the rankings, both in Orange County and CIF Southern Section Division 1. In the county, University is No. 1 and CdM is No. 2. In Division 1, Uni is No. 6 and the Sea Kings are No. 7.
“I’m looking forward to playing them,” said CdM senior Siena Sharf. “It’s my last year, and that’s been one of my top goals in my high school career, to beat Uni. It would be really great if we pull that off.”
University (7-1, 2-0 in league) won both league matches last year, coming out on top 13-5 each time. Expect Thursday’s match to be closer. Going by common opponents, University beat Beckman 12-6 last week and CdM beat the Patriots 13-5 on Tuesday.
“We’re trying not to get too far ahead of ourselves,” said CdM Coach Jamie Gresh, whose team plays host to Los Alamitos in a tough nonleague match Wednesday. “I don’t think the girls have thought about the magnitude of that [Uni] match, they’re going day by day ... but they’re looking forward to the challenge, for sure.”
CdM (5-1, 2-0) boasts a very strong singles lineup with sophomore Danielle Willson, junior Jasie Dunk and Sharf. And the Sea Kings’ No. 1 doubles tandem of senior Erica Chen and junior Camellia Edalat has lost just once all season.
“I think we’re feeling more motivated than ever,” said Sharf, a co-captain along with Chen and Paige Kenerson. “There’s much more potential on our team. We’re much deeper on singles and doubles.”
CdM against University is not the only match Thursday that has league title implications. Newport Harbor (8-1, 2-0 in league) also plays host to Los Alamitos in a key Sunset League match.
The Griffins have won three league titles in a row, but this year the Sailors appear to be the favorite. They’re ranked No. 5 in the county by the Register, with Los Al at No. 9.
Newport Harbor has a strong lineup throughout, with senior Jenn Kingsley, junior Lily Walkow and junior Hannah Blower in singles. The all-senior doubles teams of Kendall Cosenza and Anna Burke, as well as Olivia Zehnder and Elle Zielinski, have been strong, while juniors Taryn Anderson and Eva Newsom also have impressed at No. 3 doubles.
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•Sage Hill girls’ tennis has to wait until next week to play its rival, St. Margaret’s. When the Lightning do match up with the Tartans on Tuesday at The Tennis Club, a key addition will be eligible.
Sophomore Kayla Kiani, who transferred from St. Margaret’s, will play against her former school. She is expected to step into the No. 1 singles position for Sage Hill after she becomes eligible to play this weekend.
Kiani was the Academy League singles champion last year for the Tartans, and advanced to the second round of CIF Individuals before losing to CdM’s Willson. Her younger sister Nessa, a freshman tennis player who is currently out with a shoulder injury, also has transferred to Sage Hill.
“It’s good for me, because I’m getting more time to practice,” Kayla Kiani, who trains in the Grand Slam High Performance program at The Tennis Club, said of her time not playing for Sage Hill early in the season. “Of course it’s been frustrating watching my team play without me, but it’s actually better. So when I come back in, I’m the best I can be.”
The Lightning have already fared well without her, as they are ranked No. 4 in CIF Southern Section Division 2, the only team in the Academy League in the top 10. Kiani said she knows that Sage Hill will win the league, after finishing second last year to St. Margaret’s. They have won both of their first two league matches, against Oxford Academy and Whitney, by scores of 18-0.
“[We’re going to go] 10-0,” she said. “I have no doubt about it in my mind.”
And, she said she won’t feel awkward playing against her former team on Tuesday.
“St. Margaret’s was a great school, but Sage is a better fit for me overall,” she said.
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•The boys’ tennis season is not until spring, but many of the more serious players compete in tournaments year-round. That’s certainly true for CdM senior Bjorn Hoffmann, who’s in a big one this week at Laguna Niguel Racquet Club.
Hoffmann, playing in his first United States Tennis Assn. professional futures tournament, has made the main draw in Laguna Niguel. He will play Shotaro Goto of Japan in the round of 32 on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.
Hoffmann, a Cal commit, had to battle to make it through qualifying. He beat Denis Nguyen, 5-7, 4-2 (retired) before getting past Javier Callejo Velasco of Spain, 6-3, 6-2.
Hoffmann then outlasted No. 12-seeded Zhe Zhou of China, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, as well as top-seeded Sahak Bazrganian, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 to advance to the main draw. He saved two match points in the final qualifying match.
