Girls’ Tennis: Newport, Sage duos fall in third round

ROLLING HILLS ESTATES — For the second time in four years, a Cosenza made the third round of the CIF Southern Section Individuals girls’ tennis tournament on Monday.

In 2012, it was seniors Kaitlyn Cosenza and Megan Bathen who advanced to the third round for Newport Harbor. On Monday, it was Kaitlyn’s younger sister, Kendall, and fellow senior Anna Burke who did the same.

The Sailors also consider their varsity players as members of a family. Kendall Cosenza and Burke could be almost sisters, the way they have been playing together for four years as a doubles team on varsity.

And, though they lost to Sophie Bendetti and Emily Ackerman of Oaks Christian in the third round, 6-0, 6-2, they definitely had no regrets Monday at Jack Kramer Tennis Club.

“I think we left our hearts out there,” Kendall Cosenza said. “We had a great time competing together. It was fun and kind of like a last hurrah.”

Sage Hill’s doubles team of sophomore Isabella Deckey and freshman Michelle Hung also got to the third round before falling to the top-seeded Peninsula team of Sara Khattab and Tia Elpusan, 6-0, 6-0.

Newport Harbor senior Jenn Kingsley received a tough draw and was beaten in the first round by Shirline Wee of Cerritos, 4-6, 7-5 and 10-7 in the third set super-tiebreaker.

Cosenza and Burke, the Sunset League runners up who were making their first appearance in CIF Individuals, rallied to beat Justine Kiok and Lina Ito of South Torrance, 3-6, 6-1, 10-3, in the first round. They then routed Lillian Moreno and Sara Gonzalez of Katella, 6-0, 6-0, in the second round.

They battled back after getting blanked by Oaks Christian in the first set. Cosenza and Burke were at 2-2 in the second set, before Bendetti and Ackerman, the Marmonte League champions, rattled off four straight games.

“They’re really good,” Burke said. “I don’t even think we expected to get into the third round, or at least I didn’t. When we got there, it was just finishing it off strong and leaving it out there. They were really great competitors, so hat’s off to them.”

Cosenza and Burke still could take pride in their individual season, as well as the team season for Newport Harbor. They, along with Kingsley and doubles players Olivia Zehnder and Elle Zielinski, were five senior starters who helped the Sailors go 18-2 and earn the No. 2 ranking in Orange County.

“We’re really lucky,” Burke said. “Not a lot of people get to have a nice finish like that. Some people put in the work all four years and don’t necessarily see the outcome that maybe they want. I think we got really lucky to at least be here and be No. 2 in Orange County, and set the standard for the teams to come.”

Deckey and Hung, the Academy League doubles champions, also played well. They beat Emily Pratt and Jacqueline Baggott of Mayfield, 6-2, 6-1, in the first round before getting past Ashley Dickman and Reese Thomas of San Juan Hills, 6-3, 7-5, in the second round.

And even playing against Peninsula was fun, Deckey said.

“I think we actually played really well,” she said. “We had some good winners that I wasn’t really expecting. And they’re really great players and they’re very nice. I thought it was fun.”

Deckey and Hung were not even going to play doubles at league finals, but decided to team together instead of playing singles. It seemed to pay off for Sage Hill, which won league and advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division 2 semifinals.

“I thought we did really well last year, and I think this year was even better,” Deckey said. “We all bonded really well together, which pushed us even further as a team. We had hope in everyone, which is something really special.”

Kingsley also consistently showed determination in her match against Wee, the Suburban League champion. After winning the first set, she fell behind 3-0 in the second set and rallied to take a 4-3 lead, but Wee battled back to win the set.

Wee then went ahead early in the super-tiebreaker, 5-2. Kingsley was able to tie the score at 6-6 and 7-7, but Wee won the last three points to secure the match.

“She just started picking up her spin a lot and hitting through her ball more,” Kingsley said. “Way more fluid. She played really well in the tiebreaker. She outsmarted me a little bit, I would say.”

Yet, for Kingsley, it capped a standout season, her second as the Sailors’ top singles player. She was the Sunset League runner-up.

“I’m really happy I got to this point,” she said. “I was really driven this season … I definitely was not going to hand anything to anybody.”

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•In other CIF Southern Section Individuals girls’ tennis action on Monday, Corona del Mar High advanced both a singles player and a doubles team at The Claremont Club.

CdM senior Siena Sharf and junior Jasie Dunk had a first-round bye. They then beat a team from Lancaster, 6-0, 6-0, before getting past a team from Burroughs by the same score.

Sharf and Dunk, the Pacific Coast League doubles champions, will advance to the CIF Southern Section Individuals round of 16 on Dec. 2 at Seal Beach Tennis Center.

“I think we got a pretty easy draw, but we just had to stay strong and not make any errors,” Sharf said in a phone interview. “I think we’re working really well together.”

CdM sophomore Danielle Willson also advanced in singles. After a first-round bye, she beat Madeline Cortez of Serrano, 6-0, 6-0. She then got past Mikayla Shipley-Rinker of Fullerton, 6-4, 6-1.

Willson will play in either the round of 32 on Dec. 1 at Whittier Narrows, or the round of 16 on Dec. 2. She has advanced past the initial day of CIF Individuals for the second straight year.