Lightning edge Santa Margarita in season opener

It’s been three years since Isabella Deckey, Stephanie Beder and Maya Byrd were among the players featured as part of a strong freshmen class for Sage Hill School girls’ tennis.

Back then, the Lightning were still coached by A.G. Longoria and played their home matches at The Tennis Club Newport Beach. But times have changed. Cierra Gaytan is in her second year in charge, and the Lightning opened their own courts on campus last year.

“It’s just crazy to think that I was sitting down there, a scared freshman, and now I’m here at my own courts, at Sage,” Deckey said. “I love my team and my coaches. It’s a great facility. It’s a journey, a great journey.”

The senior year journey for these talented young women, part of a strong total of six seniors on the roster, started Tuesday against Santa Margarita.

The Lightning battled more than just the Eagles, with temperatures in Newport Coast creeping into the low 90s. But they still managed to come through with a 10-8 win in the season opener for both schools.

Sage Hill won seven of nine doubles sets. The No. 1 team of senior Nicole Condas and junior Michelle Hung, as well as the No. 2 team of seniors Deckey and Beder, each earned sweeps.

Condas and Hung easily swept with scores of 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. Last year they stood out, finishing as Academy League doubles finalists and advancing to the third round of CIF Individuals.

“For Michelle and I, this is a pretty good starting point, considering that we did pretty well in our matches today,” Condas said. “But we both know that we’ve definitely played better. The further in season we go, we’ll get more acclimated to playing doubles again.

“I’m very excited to get back in the swing of things, finish it off as a senior. As a senior, since there’s so many of us leaving, it’s crucial that we leave an impact so the rest of the team can get stronger after we leave.”

Deckey and Beder also swept, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 2 doubles. The last win, against the Santa Margarita team of Nadia Tatum and Kristin Bennington, clinched the match for the Lightning.

Sage led 4-2 after the first round and 7-5 after the second. Morgan Mann, who won one of two sets at No. 2 singles, and Miya Stauss were each subbed out after the second round due to the heat.

Byrd wanted to stay in, which Gaytan said showed a lot about her leadership, though she lost her final set, 6-3, to Jenna Lee. Byrd did win twice at No. 1 singles, including a key 6-4 victory over Santa Margarita’s Elizabeth Bondy in the first round, the only time that Bondy would lose.

“She’s a team player,” Gaytan said of Byrd. “She wasn’t feeling good, but she stuck it out. I admire that. Win or lose, she did it for the team … I think that’s going to help set the tone for the season. Our seniors are really stepping up to the plate, and it’s making the freshmen, sophomores and juniors feel that and want to step up and rise to their level as well. I’m just excited for the season.”

Junior Miranda deBruyne and sophomore Karina Grover had a tough second-round loss, wasting two match points in a 7-5 loss to Tara Wilson and Ally Campbell. But deBruyne and Grover rebounded in the third round for a key 6-3 win against Madeline Allison and Amelia Kitts, which provided Sage Hill with its ninth set win overall.

Overall, the Lightning have high hopes for their season, after winning their second straight Academy League title last year and finishing with a 14-2 record. They lost at San Clemente in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.

The Lightning will likely have to deal with the heat over the next couple of days as well. They play Mater Dei on Wednesday at Los Cabelleros Racquet & Sports Club in Fountain Valley, and have another road match against JSerra on Thursday.

Gaytan wants to make sure her players are well prepared for the conditions. After Tuesday’s win, they met with Lightning athletic trainer Meaghan Beaudoin.

“I’m just going to make sure they drink tons of water all of the time,” Gaytan said. “I’m on them. I’m like an annoying mom, trying to stay on them.”

matthew.szabo@latimes.com

Twitter: @mjszabo