Mall Exhibits a Reserve of Tennis Talent

Anne Mall is an exceptional high school tennis player.

At 14, she is a year younger than most sophomores. At 5-feet-10, she is quite a bit taller than most of her peers.

And she exhibits a surprisingly reserved presence on the court, said John Stephens, her coach at Dana Hills High School.

“She doesn’t say anything,” Stephens said. “On line calls, she just gives a look. She’s real concentrated--doesn’t like to lose points.”

Mall, The Times’ Athlete of the Week, has not lost a set since losing to Lisa Alipaz of Canyon at the start of the season. Saturday, Mall avenged herself with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Alipaz in the third round of the Southern Section singles tournament. The victory, combined with a second-round win, boosted her to the round of 16, which will be Nov. 30.

Thursday, Mall won, 6-1, 6-0, 7-6 (7-0 tiebreaker) to lead Dana Hills past four-time defending champion San Marino, 14-4, in the Southern Section 3-A semifinals.

Mall has only lived on the West Coast for seven months after moving from Chicago. But she is by no means homesick. Aside from the weather, she said there is not much difference between the suburbs of Chicago and California.

And since April, she has been a “welcome addition” to the Dana Hills team, Stephens said.

“Anne is the age of many freshmen,” he said, “but she’s very mature, well-mannered, somewhat shy.”

Explained Mall: “It’s not that I’m shy, I’m just not loud. I don’t get wild or something. I do play tennis a lot, though. Basically, that’s all I do.

“I have fun and stuff, go out on weekends. I just concentrate a lot on tennis.”

Mall, who Stephens said is ranked 37th in the country in the girls’ 18-and-under division, practices four hours a day, every day. Such a strong focus might seem premature for a 14-year-old. But Mall said her age has been a plus in tennis. Since she skipped first grade, she is used to being younger than her classmates and opponents.

“I’ve always played with older people,” she said. “Tennis is getting to be a younger sport, with younger players, and I’ve been playing for six years now.

“I like it a lot. As long as I’m happy with it, my parents like it, and I’ll keep going.”

TOP PERFORMERS

Missy Clements of La Habra had 37 kills and 11 blocks in the Highlanders’ 9-15, 16-14, 15-12, 10-15, 15-7 victory over Agoura in the Southern Section 3-A volleyball final Saturday.

Danielle Everett had 25 kills and six aces Thursday to lead Corona del Mar over Santa Barbara in a 5-A semifinal volleyball match, 8-15, 15-4, 5-15, 15-12, 15-7.

Kari Phebus, defending Southern Section singles tennis champion from Corona del Mar, advanced to the round of 16 after defeating Fountain Valley’s Michelle Berkowitz, 6-0, 6-0, and Fullerton’s Lorraine Lau, 6-0, 6-2, Saturday at the regional qualifying tournament at Huntington Beach High.

Shelley Taylor won the Southern Section 4-A cross-country title at Mt. San Antonio College Saturday, becoming the first county girl to win the championship since 1981. Her time of 17 minutes 59 seconds was the day’s second fastest. She qualified for the state finals this Saturday.

Anne Mall

Dana Hills High School

* Position: No. 1 singles player

* Height, Weight, Class: 5-10, 130, Sophomore.

* Last Week: Mall swept her sets in the Southern Section 3-A semifinals Thursday and her second- and third-round Southern Section singles matches Saturday.

* Season: Mall has lost only one set.