Tennis ‘3-Peat’ Won’t Come Easily for Corona del Mar

When the first round of the Southern Section girls’ tennis playoffs start Thursday, one of the inquiring-minds-want-to-know topics will be whether Corona del Mar can win another 4-A championship.

There are two schools of thought.

If you are Corona del Mar Coach Gary Salazar, you want to remain optimistic about the chances of winning a third consecutive title.

“Right now we are playing really well as a team,” he said. “I feel morale is high and that we can give them a run for the money.”

But others are not so sure.

Kerry Leander, the Capistrano Valley coach, says Palos Verdes will dethrone the champions.

“They’ll win it all,” Leander said.

For Leander’s prediction to materialize, Palos Verdes would have to eliminate Capistrano Valley if they met in the semifinals of the upper bracket Nov. 15. An unpleasant thought for Leander, no doubt.

But regardless who’s right, two things seem clear: Both teams are the class of the division. And the Sea Kings--the schools have the same nickname--will win.

Palos Verdes (17-0) is the top-seeded team in the 4-A division. The Ocean League champions, No. 1 in the coaches’ poll, are led in singles by freshmen Nicole London (20-1, the U.S. Tennis Assn.’s top-ranked player nationally in the 16-and-under category) and Janet Lee (11-1, No. 1 in the 14s).

In doubles, Palos Verdes features freshmen Jenny Cohen and Allyson Reeves, who are 47-1.

That nucleus has boosted the confidence of Palos Verdes Coach Kathy Ross.

“On paper, we are definitely the favorites,” she said.

Corona del Mar, on the other hand, will have to find some reinforcements for Keri Phebus if it hopes to win again. The Sea View League champions, No. 2 in the coaches’ poll and seeded second in the playoffs, lost to Palos Verdes, 12-6, in a preseason match with Phebus playing.

Phebus, No. 1 nationally in the USTA’s 18-and-under age group, is 15-0 in part-time duty for Corona del Mar (18-2). But if the supporting cast doesn’t come through, Corona del Mar can forget about “three-peat.”

Of course, some of the other teams in the 4-A playoffs wouldn’t mind throwing a wrench in the expected finale. But realistically, only two appear capable of derailing Corona del Mar: third-seeded Dana Hills (18-1), the South Coast League champion, and Rio Hondo League winner San Marino (19-1), a 3-A semifinalist last year.

There will be no repeat champion in 2-A, because Diamond Bar has moved to 3-A. But the division has the potential for an all-county final: Los Alamitos (12-2, seeded No. 1) vs. Freeway League champion Sunny Hills (18-2, No. 2).

Sunny Hills was one of two teams that defeated the Empire League winners this year, which made its seeding behind Los Alamitos questionable. But Los Alamitos Coach Debbie Fleming said the preseason match was not a true barometer of her team’s strength because she still was shuffling her lineup.

SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS: GIRLS’ TENNIS

Defending Champions--Corona del Mar (4-A), Dana Hills (3-A), Diamond Bar (2-A), Corona (1-A), St. Joseph (Santa Maria) (small schools).

Top Teams--4-A: Capistrano Valley, Corona del Mar, Miraleste, Palos Verdes; 3-A: Agoura, Beverly Hills, Calabasas, Westlake Village Westlake; 2-A: Los Alamitos, Mater Dei, Rosary, Sunny Hills; 1-A: Corona, San Luis Obispo; Small schools: Ramona Convent, La Mirada.

Dark Horse--Fountain Valley in 4-A, although it is in the same bracket with Palos Verdes.

Best Draw: Palos Verdes plays a wild-card team in first match and pretenders in the 4-A quarterfinals. In 2-A, second-seeded Sunny Hills should cruise until the lower-bracket semifinals.

Worst Draw: In 4-A, Woodbridge, a wild-card winner Tuesday, faces Palos Verdes in first round. In 1-A, Savanna travels to top-seeded Corona.

Key Players: Page Bartelt (Capistrano Valley), made it to the individual semifinals last year; Laura Brun (Los Alamitos), won Empire League’s singles title; Anne Mall (Dana Hills), always tough; Keri Phebus (Corona del Mar), best player in the county; Nicole London (Palos Verdes), top-ranked nationally; Renee Urricariet (Fountain Valley), No. 1 singles player in the Sunset League.

Noteworthy: Two divisions will have new champions because Dana Hills has moved up from 3-A to 4-A, and Diamond Bar went from 2-A to 3-A.