San Diego Section Tennis : Torrey Pines to Challenge La Jolla’s Streak in Final

La Jolla High School will try to keep its unprecedented string of consecutive Section team tennis championships going Friday against favored Torrey Pines.

The top-seeded Falcons, 20-0 after beating Ramona, 17-11, Wednesday in the semifinals, will attempt to dethrone La Jolla at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Morley Field. The second-seeded Vikings (18-0) beat St. Augustine, 21-5, in their semifinal match. La Jolla has won 15 straight titles.

“We want to take La Jolla,” said senior Craig Ellison, Torrey Pines’ best player. “We want to end their streak. It would be a real thrill to beat them, especially in the finals, where they usually come out on top.”

Several players on the La Jolla and Torrey Pines teams were not yet born the last time the Vikings didn’t win the Section championship in 1969.

Against fourth-seeded Ramona (17-2) at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, Torrey Pines took 11 of 16 singles sets and split 12 doubles sets to win.

Ellison won all four of his singles sets, including a 6-1 decision over previously undefeated Greg Failla that opened the match. Tim Bubnack and Mark Ellison won three sets apiece. Failla won three singles sets for Ramona, and teammates Cliff Toomey and Doug Failla swept their four doubles sets.

Craig Ellison said the Falcons were worried about Ramona, perhaps more so than about La Jolla.

“We felt if we beat Ramona, we’re in pretty good shape,” he said. “We did what we had to do. We were all nervous, but we all came through. Nobody choked.”

The Falcons won in part because of the strategy designed by Coach Anne Meigs. Noting that Ramona is very strong in singles--the Bulldogs won all 16 singles sets in beating Bishop’s, 16-12, in the quarterfinals--Meigs put Craig Ellison and Bubnack, who usually play doubles together, in singles.

This left Torrey Pines’ doubles ranks vulnerable, but the Falcons’ teams--Andy Reynolds and Jeff Babikian, and Dave Bristol and Brian Gawle--split their four sets.

Said Don Gomsi, Ramona coach, “We pretty much went with the lineup we had all year. They just didn’t play as well as they could have. It was close, though.”