Girls’ Tennis: Big win for CdM
ROLLING HILLS ESTATES — As the Corona del Mar High girls’ tennis team got on the bus Tuesday, the players found out that one of them wouldn’t be making the trip.
CdM Coach Jamie Gresh informed them that senior Kylie Tasu, who had been a starter, quit the team on Monday night.
“It definitely caught most of us by surprise,” CdM sophomore Bella McKinney said. “Everyone was very surprised on the bus ride.”
It might not have been the ideal way to try to prepare for a big nonleague match at Palos Verdes Peninsula. But instead, the Sea Kings showed that they still have a lot of depth this season and pulled off a big win in the process.
CdM upset the three-time defending CIF Southern Section Division 1 champion Panthers, 12-6, at Peninsula High.
Peninsula (3-1) lost its top four players from last season, including No. 1 singles player Ena Shibahara, who is now at UCLA. Still, the Panthers were top-ranked in Division 1 coming into the match, with CdM at No. 3. Peninsula Coach Mike Hoeger said it was the first time his team had lost a match at full strength “in a long time.”
“It does feel a little bit strange,” Hoeger said. “This was our first big test and we didn’t fare so well, but I thought our girls played well. CdM is really good, one through 10. I think they’ve got a really solid team at all positions, really good doubles and a couple of really good singles players. They hit hard, they volley well and they have big serves. You don’t see that as often in girls’ tennis.”
Senior Jasie Dunk and junior Danielle Willson both swept in singles for CdM (5-0). Hoeger won’t be surprised if that’s true many more times this season.
“Both Jasie and Danielle are better,” Hoeger said. “They’re just playing with a lot of confidence. It’s hard to figure out how to win that match when they’re going to get six [sets] right there. If we run into them again, we’re going to have to try a different lineup.”
The Sea Kings, whose season ended last year with a loss to Peninsula in the Southern California Regional semifinals, took a 5-1 lead Tuesday after the first round and a 9-3 advantage after the second round. Both times, the No. 3 doubles team of junior Emily Freyman and McKinney provided the final win of the round in a tiebreaker.
First, Freyman and McKinney beat Serena Ko and Lindsay Thomas, 7-6 (7-5). They were down 5-2 in the set and also down 4-2 in the tiebreaker before rallying for the win.
“I think us winning had a big effect on our team, because 5-1 [instead of] 4-2 is like, ‘Oh, we’ve got this,’” Freyman said. “Bella and I, even though we were down for a little, we knew we just had to keep working hard ... I think we showed them who’s boss. By having those super-long tiebreakers, it showed that we have a lot of perseverance. CdM is here to win.”
In the second round, Freyman and McKinney topped Peninsula’s Sarina Liu and Katelyn Parker by the same 7-6 (7-5) score. McKinney put an exclamation mark on the victory with a service ace on set point.
Camellia Edalat and Brooke Kenerson won twice at No. 1 doubles for CdM, while Roxy Mackenzie won twice at No. 2 doubles, once each with partners Izzy Dajee and Grace Jennings. Mackenzie and Jennings made quick work of their third-round set, 6-0, to provide the clinching 10th set win for the Sea Kings.
“This was our first big challenge of the season, and I think we answered the test really well,” Gresh said. “The doubles played great. I feel like our level was really high, because we needed to be at our best today.”
CdM plays host to Mater Dei on Wednesday and opens Pacific Coast League play Thursday against Woodbridge, also at home. The Sea Kings are defending league champions.
They’ll begin defense of their title without Tasu, who quit the team based on what Gresh called a personal decision. Tasu, who had overcome a shoulder injury to play in matches for the first time this year, said in a text message that she realized it wasn’t a good fit for her.
“At this point in my recovery I need to have a lot more flexibility and time to train and play to get to where I was before I had my injuries, and that’s a long process,” Tasu said. “Being on the team was taking time away from more important things that I need to focus on, and there’s a personal aspect to it as well.”
