El Camino Real Pins Title Hopes on Play of Doubles Teams

The El Camino Real High boys’ tennis team has no qualms about being the underdog. Never mind that this afternoon the Conquistadores are making their first trip to a City Section 4-A Division tennis final in the school’s 19-year history and their opponent is undefeated and a solid favorite.

“I’m looking at it as a no-lose situation,” El Camino Real’s Chris Neuer said. “This is a last-chance effort.”

With eight seniors on a 10-man team, this might be the Conquistadores’ last chance, at least for a while. But they are not expected to beat University, whose top three players reached the individual championship semifinals. In fact, two University players, Vince Mackey and Jason Clark, are in Friday’s individual final.

University, which has not won a league title in 10 years, dominated the Western League, sweeping through regular-season play with a 17-0 record. That does not include a 4-3 victory over El Camino Real in a scrimmage early in the season.

In that meeting, Mackey beat the Conquistadores’ No. 1 singles player, Mark Sundahl, who lost only one other match all season. Mackey and Sundahl, once doubles partners and still friends, will meet again this afternoon.

The final is at 2 p.m. at The Racquet Centre in Universal City.

“They are more experienced,” said Scott Blumin, El Camino Real’s No. 2 singles player. “They play in tournaments; most of our team doesn’t.”

Only Sundahl and Blumin play in junior competition. No. 3 singles player Oscar Picon, an exchange student from Madrid, said he played in his homeland.

But individual competition is different from team play.

“There is a lot more emotion in team play,” Neuer said. “And this group has pretty much put individual competition aside.”

Individually, El Camino Real would seem to be in over its head, but as a team the Conquistadores stand up much better.

“Tennis is usually pretty cut and dried until the championships,” El Camino Real Coach Ralph Stam said. “Somebody’s spirits might be up and they just might win.”

El Camino Real’s chances for an upset rest with Sundahl, who will play at UCLA next season, and the doubles teams, which won six of nine sets against Palisades in a semifinal match last week. Players said the doubles teams need to duplicate that effort to upset University.

“I feel we have a chance,” said Blumin, who will attend Cal State Bakersfield on a tennis scholarship. “We know Sundahl can win three out of four, and if everyone holds their share . . .”

Neuer and partner Erik Hof, the team’s only juniors, have played well, as have the other two doubles teams.

“We’ll rely on doubles,” No. 4 singles player Jean Paul Meglio said. “If our doubles do well, we have a good chance of winning.”

Said Neuer: “We’re going to need upsets in singles. And if everything goes right on doubles . . .”

The doubles teams are prepared, though. In practice, the No. 1 team of Neuer and Hof has been only slightly ahead of the No. 2 team of Marty Estes and James Min. Res Witschi and Mike Kato form the No. 3 doubles team. There is certainly competition among the top two teams, which suits Stam.

“That’s the secret, having competition on your own squad,” Stam said. “If you can’t with your own team, how do you expect to compete?”

El Camino Real should be able to compete in doubles. University’s doubles teams all lost last week in a semifinal win over Taft.

The Conquistadores must force the Warriors to duplicate that doubles performance and mix in a singles victory.