SOUTHERN SECTION TEAM TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS : 4-A : Dana Hills Wins It All This Time : Strength in Doubles Offsets Servite’s Belloli Brothers

The way the Dana Hills High School tennis team saw things, it had a right to the Southern Section 4-A tennis championship. The Dolphins entered Wednesday’s final against Servite undefeated (21-0), had the No. 1 ranking in the 4-A division, and most important, were still smarting from last season’s 12-6 championship loss to Calabasas.

Dana Hills got its championship, an 11-7 victory over Servite at the Laguna Niguel Racquet Club, but it took a lot longer than expected.

Dana Hills won eight of nine doubles matches, but Servite’s twin brothers, Jeff and Chris Belloli, won all six of their singles matches to keep Servite (19-4) alive.

“That (losing last year) was our motivational force,” said Dana Hills Coach Art Jenkins.

“There was a lot of pressure; it was our championship and they were trying to take it away from us,” said Dana Hills doubles player Neel Grover. “After last year, we really wanted to win it.”

Grover and his partner, Stan Sanders, the Southern Section doubles champions, did their part, winning all three of their matches without losing a game.

With Dana Hills cleaning up the doubles competition, much of the matches’ interest was in singles.

Dana Hills’ No. 1 player, Ryan Gately, was involved in a pair of spirited matches with the Bellolis. Gately lost to Jeff, 7-5, in a match involving several disputed calls. Jeff Belloli finished the season with a 42-3 record.

Midway through Gately’s match with Chris, Belloli asked for a line judge after several arguments over calls. Chris Belloli (50-13) won the match, 7-5.

Dana Hills clinched the match in doubles when its No. 2 team of Mark Potter and Kurt Reiner defeated Ron Picazo and Sergio Piana, 6-4.

Servite’s one doubles victory came when Jason Chung and Mark Gothard defeated Potter and Reiner, 6-4.