They Give Dana Hills Its Knockout Punch : Tennis: Stevens and Bruggeman have different styles on and off the court, but get the job done for the undefeated Dolphins.

Ben Stevens and Kurt Bruggeman, the leaders of the Dana Hills High School boys’ tennis team, share a common trait: neither one likes to lose.

“They are probably the best 1-2 punches in high school tennis in California,” said Dana Hills Coach John Stephens, who has guided the top-ranked Dolphins to an 18-0 record.

Both seniors, Stevens plays at No. 1 singles and Bruggeman at No. 2 singles for Dana Hills, which won its sixth consecutive South Coast League title last week, going 60-0 in league play over the past six years.

Stevens, who is 43-2 this season, is serious and determined on the tennis court.

“One of his assets is concentration,” Stephens said.

Stevens has a 3.95 grade-point average and plans to play professional tennis after he graduates from Texas A & M.

“I guess it’s just wanting to be the best I can,” Stevens said. “I can see I’m very capable of it and I’m very determined to achieve it.”

Last season when Dana Hills met Corona del Mar in the Southern Section 4-A semifinals, Stevens defeated Corona del Mar’s No. 1 player, David Bain, 7-5, after being down 1-5. His victory helped Dana Hills clinch a 10-8 victory.

“He came back against Bain and the whole team depended on it,” Stephens said. “Everyone was watching and waiting for the outcome of the match.”

Stevens said winning the match was a matter of not quitting.

“I never give up,” Stevens said. “It takes discipline and you just keep at it. It’s instinctive, mostly. If you’re going to fall, you might as well fall fighting for it.”

Bruggeman, on the other hand, is not so business-like when it comes to his game.

“When I practice, I’m not as serious as I think I should be,” said Bruggeman, who is 51-3. “I don’t have professional aspirations. Tennis just rounds off my personality.”

Bruggeman, who has a 4.1 GPA and will graduate in June as one of Dana Hills’ valedictorians, plans to attend Dartmouth and play tennis there.

“Kurt is a tremendous player who never beats himself,” Stephens said. “He doesn’t go out and make so many mistakes that he loses matches. If someone’s going to beat him, they are going to be a superior player.”

Stephens talks about Bruggeman’s 7-6 victory over Corona del Mar’s Bain on March 8 that gave Dana Hills a 10-8 victory in its closest match of the year. Bruggeman won the tie-breaker, 9-7, on an approach shot that Bain returned wide.

“He’ll rise to the occasion and hit the right shots when other kids will choke,” Stephens said. “He’s the type of kid you want to have in there when it’s real tight and tense because he’ll come through.”

Bruggeman is also active in student government and school activities, and enjoys skiing, golfing, bowling and playing volleyball.

“I do a lot of other things,” said Bruggeman, who started playing tennis at age 6. “I’m not completely dedicated to tennis.”

Stevens grew up in Edmonton, Canada, playing hockey and soccer. After his family moved first to Albuquerque, then to Laguna Niguel, he quit playing hockey and took up tennis.

“I liked hockey a lot, but not nearly as well as tennis,” Stevens said. “Where can you find ice rinks in the states, unless you live in the Northeast?”

Said Stephens: “Ben’s whole focus is tennis.”

Teammate Brice Martin said Stevens dedicates four to five hours a day to the game.

“He definitely spends a lot of time--more so than the other team members,” Martin said. “By nature, he’s basically disciplined. It shows up in school and other things and it shows up on the tennis court.”