Southern Section Tennis : Drizzle Gives Valencia Girls Break They Need to Win

After the first round of the Southern Section girls’ 2-A team tennis finals Tuesday at The Claremont Club, John Cyrus, Placentia Valencia High School coach, gathered his players around him for a pep talk.

Valencia trailed in sets, 4-2, at that point as a light rain held up play briefly.

Once the drizzle stopped, the Tigers rallied to tie Indio, 9-9, winning the title on number of games won, 79-75.

It was Valencia’s first championship after advancing to the semifinals four straight seasons.

“The turning point was the rain,” Cyrus said. “It gave us a chance to get off the courts and settle ourselves down. We were down, then we came back and tied them, 6-6, after the second round. We had the momentum going into the third round.”

Valencia won by taking seven of the nine doubles sets. Diane Ewing, the Tigers’ No. 1 player, won Valencia’s only two singles sets. Indio took the other seven sets.

Ewing, a senior, beat Indio’s Ashlee Chooljian, 6-3, in the third and final round of play to pull the Tigers even at 9-9.

For Indio, it was the second straight championship lost on number of games won. Indio lost to Chaminade of Canoga Park last season.

In the 1-A, Pasadena Mayfield won its third straight title with a 15-3 victory over Santa Maria St. Joseph. The Cubs swept the singles play with their No. 1 player, Emeline Hernandez, winning her sets, 6-2, 6-1, 6-0. St. Joseph was the only unseeded team to advance to the finals.

The rain postponed play in the 4-A and 3-A finals Tuesday. The 4-A match between Rancho Palos Verdes Miraleste and L.A. Westlake, will be made up today at 2 p.m at the West End Tennis Club in Torrance. The 3-A title match, between Laguna Hills and San Marino, will be played at 1:30 p.m. today at the Nellie Gail Tennis Club in Laguna Hills.