Girls’ Tennis: CdM falls in semis
CLAREMONT — Momentum seemed to go back and forth on Friday afternoon at The Claremont Club, as the Corona del Mar High girls’ tennis team played Arcadia in a CIF USTA Southern California Regional quarterfinal match.
That was certainly true for CdM sophomore Danielle Willson, who lost her first set against Arcadia freshman Lauren Ko at No. 2 singles and had to rally to force a third set.
Willson’s match became the last one to be completed. At 3-3 in the third set, players from both teams gathered close to the court. Willson turned toward her teammates, asking what the team score was in the format that included four singles and three doubles matches.
“3-2,” CdM’s Brooke Kenerson responded, though it soon became 3-3 as Willson saw Arcadia freshman Michelle Deng defeat CdM’s Jasie Dunk at No. 1 singles. Willson’s third set would decide the entire match.
“I was really nervous,” Willson said later. “I just wanted to keep the team going to the next round.”
She did it, rallying for a 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory over Ko to clinch a 4-3 team win for the Sea Kings.
And, though they would lose, 5-2, in the subsequent regional semifinal to top-seeded defending champion Peninsula, the Sea Kings still would be able to reflect on a successful season.
Making the CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinals for the third straight year, the SoCal Regional semifinals for the second straight year and winning the Pacific Coast League for the first time since 2009 isn’t a bad list of accomplishments.
“I feel super-proud and really happy about the season,” said CdM junior Camellia Edalat, who played at No. 1 doubles throughout the year with senior Erica Chen. “I’m sad that it’s over, but I’m really proud of our team.”
Beating Arcadia, the CIF Southern Section Division 2 champion, wasn’t easy. But the Sea Kings got some other big performances. In singles, senior Siena Sharf topped Arcadia freshman Angela Qiu, 6-3, 6-4, at No. 3 singles. And Brooke and Paige Kenerson earned a 6-3, 6-3 win over Arcadia’s Sunny Ng and Tina Yueh at No. 2 doubles.
Chen and Edalat provided the third set win. They did so in dramatic fashion, rallying for a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Arcadia’s Angelica Zhou and Rachelle Yang at No. 1 doubles. Chen and Edalat were down 4-1 in the third set, but somehow found a way to come back. Edalat served out the match at love, winning four straight points.
“It was an amazing feeling, because usually nerves take over and it doesn’t happen like that,” Edalat said. “But we played our game. I served, she poached and put it away.”
CdM Coach Jamie Gresh said that win really pumped his girls up.
“Camellia played a great game to serve it out at 5-4, which is one of the hardest things to do in tennis,” Gresh said. “They played four great points and that was it. I think all of our girls really rallied around that and got excited. We were up 3-2 with two matches to play.”
Arcadia got its set wins as Deng rallied for a 7-6, 6-2 win over Dunk at No. 1 singles, and Anna Qiu beat CdM’s Emily Freyman, 6-1, 6-0, at No. 4 singles. Arcadia’s Aubrie Weissbuch and Sydney Tran earned a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Bella McKinney and Shaya Northrup at No. 3 doubles, but it wasn’t quite enough to beat the Sea Kings.
CdM knew another victory against Peninsula was a long shot, but the Sea Kings actually played pretty tough, at least in doubles. The Panthers, who won their third straight Division 1 title last week, are also going for their third straight regional title. But the Sea Kings earned both of their set wins in doubles.
The Kenerson sisters continued their standout day, topping Serena Ko and Amanda Sharng, 6-3, 7-5, at No. 2 doubles. And the freshman duo of McKinney and Northrup earned an exciting 7-6, 6-4 win over Peninsula’s Laudan Hosseini and Katelyn Parker at No. 3 doubles. McKinney and Northrup rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the first set and a 4-1 deficit in the second set.
Edalat and Chen lost a close match to Tia Elpusan and Sarina Liu at No. 1 doubles, 7-5, 6-4. But the Panthers were able to earn four easy wins in singles.
UCLA-bound senior Ena Shibahara beat Dunk, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 1 singles, while Ryan Peus beat Willson, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 2 singles. Peninsula’s Sara Khattab earned a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Sharf at No. 3 singles, while Alana Roth beat CdM freshman Roxy Mackenzie, 6-0, 6-1, at No. 4 singles.
Peninsula will play No. 2-seeded Torrey Pines for the SoCal Regional title at 1:30 p.m. Saturday back at The Claremont Club. Torrey Pines edged Harvard-Westlake, 4-3, in the other semifinal.
Some of CdM’s players also will return to The Claremont Club, but not on Saturday. They’ll return on Monday for the first three rounds of CIF Individuals. The doubles team of Sharf and Dunk, as well as Willson in singles, will be participating.
As for the team season, it was a successful one. The Sea Kings weren’t downtrodden after their loss to Peninsula, as they planned to head to a local frozen yogurt shop before heading home.
“To be in the semis here, I think it’s just a true showing of how these girls have gotten better during the year,” Gresh said. “They’re all just getting better and better, and that’s fun to see … that’s why you play high school tennis. I think these girls have done a great job of having fun while being very successful and working as a team.”
