University Dominates Tennis Final

It would have been twice as sweet for the El Camino Real High boys’ tennis team to beat University in the City Section 4-A Division championship match. In addition to avenging an earlier loss, a victory would have meant strong play from the Conquistadores’ doubles teams.

But that never came to pass.

University, behind the strong play of its doubles teams, beat El Camino Real, 18 1/2-11, Wednesday at the Racquet Centre in Universal City. In the 3-A final, Eagle Rock defeated Franklin, 21-8 1/2, to win its second consecutive 3-A title and fifth in the past eight years.

“I felt, against University, we needed to dominate the doubles because they are so strong in the individuals,” El Camino Real Coach Ralph Stam said.

University was as dominant as expected in the singles, winning 11 of the 16 matches. But the Warriors were surprisingly effective in the doubles, winning five of nine matches, including two of the first three.

“The first round was critical. To win two of the first three doubles really closed the door,” University Coach Tom Anderson said.

And the singles players locked it up. University’s Vince Mackey and Jason Clark, who will meet in the individual championship Friday, swept their four matches and teammate Jon Kelly, who was the No. 5-seeded player in the individual tournament, won three of his four.

Although the University trio was expected to dominate El Camino Real’s lower singles players, they also beat the Conquistadores’ top player, Mark Sundahl, three times.

Sundahl, who was the No. 4-seeded player in the individual tournament but lost to Kelly in the quarterfinals, jumped to a 5-2 lead against Mackey, the City’s top-ranked singles player, and served at triple match point. But Mackey rallied to beat Sundahl, 7-6 (7-2 in the tiebreaker).

“I’m sure that deflated him, to be that close and not get the point,” Stam said.

Sundahl lost to Kelly and Clark by identical 6-2 scores.

Eagle Rock, which split two Northern League matches with Franklin, won 15 of the 16 singles matches and four of the nine doubles matches.

The Eagles’ Jade Ellis, Eric Jacobson and Claudio Reyes swept their four matches.