SOUTHERN SECTION TEAM TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS : 5-A : University Gets Final Chance, Makes the Most of It

Facing a 6-6 tie going into the final round of the Southern Section 5-A boys’ team tennis championship, University High School Coach Gary Sisel gave his players one last chance to figure out what he’d been telling them all season long.

“I told them I’m sick of losing my last match,” Sisel said. “I don’t think they understood the meaning of that sentence until that very moment.”

For the Trojans, it was the moment that mattered.

University went on to win five of six final-round sets to defeat two-time defending section champion Santa Barbara, 11-7, at the Racquet Club of Irvine. The victory ended Santa Barbara’s winning streak at 73 matches.

It is the first team championship for the University boys’ tennis program, which has made the playoffs three times in the last 10 years.

The Trojans’ No. 3 singles player, Carsten Hoffmann, contributed an unexpected point by upsetting Bill Miller, 6-1, in the final set. Hoffmann won his first two sets, 6-4 and 6-2.

Hoffmann played an aggressive serve-and-volley game against Miller, who upset previously undefeated Mike Briggs of Corona del Mar, 6-3, 6-3, in the semifinals of the individual championships Saturday.

But Miller was unspectacular against Hoffmann, suffering from weak groundstrokes and misguided lobs. And after Hoffmann gained a 4-1 lead, Miller did little to change his game plan, serving with less power every point and dropping midcourt volleys for Hoffmann to slam.

“I knew I broke him at 4-1,” Hoffmann said. “Usually a guy would go over, sit down, and think about it. But he just stopped taking his time. Like he wanted it over.”

If Miller wanted it over, the Dons’ No. 2 doubles team of Dan Medvene and Dan Webster certainly did not. Medvene and Webster fought in the final round until Pete Bohan and Willi Dann finally overtook them in a tiebreaker, 12-10.

Along with Hoffmann, Bohan and Dann were the only Trojans to sweep their sets. They defeated the No. 1 team of Brent Peus and Kevin Schmidtchen, 6-2, and No. 3 Tom Scoble and Aaron Webster, 7-4, in a tiebreaker.

Richard Stillwagon worked hard to contribute the last point for University, winning 7-4 in a tiebreaker over Brian Maher. Carlos Bustos lost only to Miller, 6-4, then defeated both Maher and Jeff Farrier, 6-0.

Santa Barbara finished its season, 23-1. University finishes at 23-1.