Sage Hill girls’ tennis routs rival St. Margaret’s, stays perfect in league

Reporting from Mission Viejo —  The Sage Hill School and St. Margaret’s girls’ tennis teams have always been rivals, and for good reason.

If the Lightning and Tartans weren’t battling it out for Academy League supremacy, they were facing off in the postseason, where St. Margaret’s defeated Sage Hill in the 2008 CIF Southern Section Division 4 title match, as well as the 2010 and ’11 Division 3 championship matches.

Lately, though, that rivalry has been decidedly one-sided.

The Lightning struck for yet another victory Tuesday afternoon, beating St. Margaret’s 16-2 in a league match at Saddleback College. With three league matches remaining, Sage Hill appears headed to its third straight undefeated Academy League title.

Still, playing against a rival always brings a thrill, no matter the final score.

“I feel like it was really exciting,” said Sage senior Maya Byrd, who won twice at No. 1 singles before being subbed out, including an impressive 6-2 victory over St. Margaret’s No. 1 Seychelle Balog. “I was really pumped up for this and motivated, I really wanted to do well because it’s the last time playing them.”

The Lightning (11-2, 5-0 in league) swept in doubles. The No. 1 team of senior Izzy Deckey and Morgan Mann won two 6-0 sets before being subbed out for senior Hannah Leigh and freshman Lauren Avenatti, who won a tough 6-4 set.

“We have one freshman, and Hannah’s really great at helping her and guiding her through the way,” Sage Hill Coach Cierra Gaytan said.

Senior Nicole Condas and junior Miranda deBruyne easily swept, 6-2, 6-0, 6-1, at No. 2 doubles. Senior Stephanie Beder and sophomore Karina Glover did the same at No. 3 doubles, by scores of 6-1, 6-0, 6-1.

The other sweep for Sage came at No. 3 singles, where junior Michelle Hung earned three wins. Sophomore Miya Stauss won once before she was subbed out, and junior Hannah Herin subbed in for Byrd in the final round to also earn a win.

It was the second victory over the Tartans this year, after a 14-4 win in the first league meeting on Sept. 22. None of the Lightning’s league matches so far have been closer than that 14-4 score.

St. Margaret’s (3-6, 2-3) earned both of its wins in singles, where Newport Beach resident Natalie Kowal beat Stauss, 6-3, in the first round. Madeline Hughes then earned a 6-3 win over Sage substitute Nataly ShayanSmith in the last round.

With league not being a challenge, the Lightning still have goals for the rest of the season. Wednesday’s home match against Beckman, the top-ranked team in CIF Southern Section 2, should be a good challenge. The Lightning are in their second year in Division 1, where last year they lost in the first round of the playoffs at San Clemente.

“I’m excited for CIF,” Deckey said. “I feel like last year, the first one [in Division 1] was a little tough. This year, we have a little more depth. Academy League individuals will also be interesting, because I feel like some of the top players are from our team. It’ll be interesting, battling out against each other.

“Friends turn to enemies,” she added with a laugh.

But for the rest of the season, the six-player senior class of Deckey, Byrd, Leigh, Beder, Condas and ShayanSmith mostly just wants to enjoy the ride.

“At the beginning of every season, we always are told that we have to beat St. Margaret’s,” ShayanSmith said. “That’s our rival, so to finish it off with a win is really exciting.”

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Twitter: @mjszabo