TENNIS / PAIGE A. LEECH : Open-Minded Pospich Exiting Junior Level

Natasha Pospich of Woodland Hills is quickly--and successfully--making the transition from junior to open tennis competition.

Pospich, 17, the No. 1 player at Calabasas High, defeated Linda Allred of Los Angeles, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, in the title match of the $5,000 Whittier Narrows Open tournament last weekend. It was Pospich’s first open tournament of the year.

Pospich, who plans to attend Pepperdine in 1991, was losing, 5-4, in the first set, but managed to take Allred to a tiebreaker. Trailing, 5-2, Pospich won the next five points, then coasted to a 6-2 second-set victory.

The 5-foot-6 1/2 senior has had a string of successful junior tournaments this year, including title victories at Santa Barbara in January and Ojai in April, but she is trying to graduate to the next step.

Pospich, who does not like to watch women’s tennis “because it’s boring--too slow,” is ranked in the Top 16 of the Santa Monica Open, which began Friday and finishes Monday.

Dexter MacBride of Calabasas, Pospich’s coach for the past year and pro at Calabasas Park, also was a winner in the Whittier Narrows tournament. MacBride teamed with Steve Wiere of Westlake Village to beat Chan Ly and Ernie Ives of Long Beach by default. Ly and Ives were unable to play because of other obligations. MacBride and Wiere narrowly won in the semifinals, beating Jun Jocedo and Dayan Kauta of West Covina, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.

MacBride, 25, lost to Brett Hanson-Dent of Newport Beach, 7-6, 6-2, in the quarterfinals of open competition, and Hanson-Dent went on to win the title match against Wiere, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1.

MacBride and Pospich took first in the mixed-doubles competition.

Junior Team Tennis: The Cabrillo Racquet Club in Camarillo captured its third consecutive state title in the Junior Team Tennis championships last weekend when the girls’ 15-and-under squad edged Almaden Valley Athletic Club of San Jose, 5-4, at Industry Hills Tennis Center.

After singles action last Saturday, the score was 3-3. Winning in singles were No. 1 Monique Allegre, who defeated Laura Neff, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1; No. 2 Jessica Improta, who came from behind to beat Christie Cooley, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5; and No. 4 Jennifer Messmer, who eliminated Christine McCarthy, 6-0, 6-1.

On the second day of the championships, the Camarillo club took two of three doubles matches to ice the victory. The No. 1 team of Allegre-Improta defeated the team of Neff-Cooley, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4, and the No. 2 team of Messmer and Shera Wiegler won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, over Puja Batra and Sally Pham.

Cabrillo’s 1988 girls’ 12-and-under team and its 1989 boys’ 12-and-under squad previously had earned state titles.

The girls’ 12-and-under team, which also competed in the state championships, narrowly lost to a club team from Sacramento, 5-4. LuLu Oswald was the lone singles winner Saturday, beating Jill Howard, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5. Although the 5-1 deficit after the first day of competition made it impossible for the team to win the title, its sweep of the doubles competition Sunday allowed Southern California to earn the Gar Glenny Cup for the sixth year.

Cabrillo’s Rhi Potkey and Sarah Distad defeated Christina Fusano and Shaina Rutherford, 6-4, 6-3. Oswald teamed with Katie Messmer to beat Janice Nyland and Stacy Don, 6-0, 6-1, and the No. 3 team of Sally Distad and Shannon Higgins defeated Leslie Hess and Natalie Nilsen, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6.

Ventura Grand Prix: Alex Lynch of Ventura won five consecutive matches en route to the title match of the 26th Ventura County Championships held Aug. 18-19 and 25-26 at Pierpont Racquet Club in Ventura.

Lynch, the No. 1 player at Ventura High, defeated Kendall Osborne, also of Ventura, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, for the title in the men’s “A” division.

Loesje Guizar of Woodland Hills beat Claudia Muhlinghaus of Ventura in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, in the women’s “A” final. Guizar, 22, played for Cal State Northridge last spring.

Approximately 200 players participated in the tournament, which is the eighth in a series of 14 in the Ventura Grand Prix. Westlake Tennis and Swim Club is playing host for the ninth tournament of the Grand Prix.

Information: 818-889-6164.