Boys’ tennis: Trojans one match away from defending Division I title

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In the end, the home fans and the homecourt advantage weren’t quite enough to allow host Peninsula to upset reigning champion Irvine University in a highly-anticipated Southern Section-Toyota Division I semifinal Wednesday in Palos Verdes.

Top-seeded University won, 10-8, to set up a championship showdown against second-seeded Santa Barbara, which knocked off third-seeded Mater Dei, 11-7, in Wednesday’s other semifinal.

Penn-bound Jason Lin swept, 6-3, 6-1, 6-0, at No. 1 singles to lead the unbeaten Trojans to another victory over fourth-seeded Peninsula, which lost to University in the division finals last spring and again in a nonleague match earlier this season. It also might have earned Coach John Kessler a bus trip’s worth of heckling from his players after he boldly predicted back in April that Peninsula would win the title.

Instead, it’ll be the top two seeded teams going head-to-head in a final next Wednesday at The Claremont Club that looks too close to call.

-- Steve Galluzzo