La Cañada High girls’ tennis can’t match up with San Marino

LA CAÑADA — In its quest to upset longtime reigning Rio Hondo League champion San Marino High, the La Cañada girls’ tennis team found itself losing an overwhelming numbers game from the start.

A Cassie McKenzie victory stood as the only set win through the first round for the Spartans, and, by the third round, both teams were inserting substitutes, as the Titans thumped the Spartans, 14-4, on Thursday at La Cañada.

“It’s a little bit disappointing,” said McKenzie, who won two of her team’s four sets. “All together, I think that teams have their good days and their bad days. It just sucks that today had to be [our bad day].”

While San Marino (7-3, 6-0 in league), which wrapped up an eighth straight league title, won the first time the teams played in September, it was by a much closer 11-7 tally. This time around, La Cañada (8-6, 3-3) struggled from the get-go.

“Last time, we got off to a much better start,” Spartans Coach Will Moravec said. “It was 4-2, but it was a lot better. I think we still felt like we were in it.

“Today, Cassie was the only one that won and we were going down, 0-6, 1-6.”

In the first round, the Spartans lost two 6-1 sets and one by a 6-0 tally. In all, they lost seven sets, 6-0, and three by 6-1 scores.

The match also came a week removed from a league loss to South Pasadena, 13-5, in which McKenzie and sister Ally, the reigning league singles champion, did not play due to their participation in another tournament.

“It didn’t help losing to South Pasadena,” Moravec said. “I think that hurt our confidence.”

On Thursday, just like the first time the Spartans played the Titans, Ally was moved into doubles, but her and teammate Sarah Choe split their two sets, earning a 6-2 win in the second round after a 6-3 first-round loss. Ally and Elizabeth Lee swept the first time the teams played.

“It’s nerve-wracking,” said Cassie of feeling as if she and her sister needed to win every set.

Another difference from the first match was that Cassie won two sets as opposed to sweeping. The first time around, Cassie defeated San Marino’s top player, Devon Jack, in a tiebreaker, but fell, 6-3, on Thursday, while winning her other two sets, 6-0, 6-2.

“Every time I play Devon, it’s just 50-50 who wins,” Cassie said. “Today, I think she was a lot more relaxed.

“Mentally, she was better than me. I really don’t think that I played very well today and she played really well.”

San Marino wrapped up the match at 10-3, though the Spartans ended on a bit of a high note when Cathy Seo and Lauren Lee won, 6-4, in the final set.