TENNIS / JEFF RILEY : Former Coach Thinks the World of Pospich’s Progress

Several local junior players are hitting the national circuit this summer and, thus far, none have been more impressive than Calabasas’ Natasha Pospich.

Pospich, 18, will enter Pepperdine on a tennis scholarship this fall and already has proven to be one of the finest 18-year-old players in the nation.

She combined with San Diego’s Aurora Jima to reach the quarterfinals of a $10,000 women’s professional tournament in Fayetteville, N.C., this past weekend. The previous week, Pospich won two singles matches in the qualifying round of a similar tournament in Greensboro, N.C.

According to Dexter MacBride, a former coach of Pospich and one of three partners in the Calabasas Tennis and Swim Club, those accomplishments will earn Pospich a world ranking within two weeks.

“For somebody who has not even played a college match yet, she’s doing tremendous,” MacBride said. “Just getting into those tournaments is nice, and she’s winning some matches.”

This week, Pospich is in San Diego competing in a pre-qualifying tournament that could earn her a berth in the Virginia Slims of San Diego.

Other juniors also are trying their hand in national tournaments.

Camarillo twins Mike and Bob Bryan, Canoga Park’s Jeremy Testewuide and Tarzana’s Jason Weiss are competing in the Zonal Championships for 14-year-old boys in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., this week.

Thousand Oaks’ Joanna Mazur will compete in the girls’ 14-year-old clay-court championships in Plantation, Fla., next week. Calabasas’ Stacey Jellen will compete in the clay-court championships for 18-year-old girls next week, then will join Pospich at a women’s circuit tournament in Roanoake, Va.

Ventura’s Derek Pope, a 14-year-old who will be a sophomore at Nordhoff High, is competing in the Southern Open in Jackson, Miss., this week. He also will compete in the clay-court championships for 16-year-old boys in Nashville, Tenn., next week.

Team tennis: Several San Fernando Valley USTA adult-league tennis teams will compete against teams from West L.A. and the South Bay in a district championship Sunday at El Dorado Park in Long Beach.

District champions advance to the sectional playoffs Aug. 23-25 at Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley.

San Fernando Valley League men’s competitors include Porter Valley Country Club (4.5 division), a Los Angeles Tennis Players Assn. team (4.0), and Tug’s Topspins (3.5). Bill Marrs is captain of Porter Valley Country Club, Wally Esser is captain of the LATPA team, and Tug Craig leads Tug’s Topspins.

Women’s division teams that will participate include an unnamed team captained by Marla Torre (5.0), Nitwits (4.5), Stars and Stripes (4.0) and LATPA (3.5). June Sugasawara is captain of Nitwits, Kathy Lengyel leads Stars and Stripes, and Maxine Miller is captain of LATPA.

Eight Ventura County teams already have qualified for the sectional playoffs in Fountain Valley.

The men’s teams are Cabrillo Racquet Club (5.0), Sunset Hills Country Club (4.5), Oxnard Tennis Center (4.0) and Cabrillo Racquet Club (3.5). Team captains include Randy Kinsling (Cabrillo 5.0), David Jaffe (Sunset Hills CC), Glenn Hamashita (Oxnard TC), and Douglas Rosecrans (Cabrillo 3.5).

In the women’s division, Sunset Hills Country Club won titles in the 4.5, 4.0, and 3.5 divisions. Captains are Mary Rudolph (4.5), Dailene Silverberg (4.0) and Jane Henderson (3.5). Oakridge Athletic Club, whose captain is Belinda Romero, won the women’s 3.0 division.

Volvo pre-qualifying: Four of the area’s finest players are scheduled to compete in the wild card pre-qualifying tournament for the Volvo Tennis/Los Angeles tournament.

Mark Jeffrey of Woodland Hills, Stuart Greenburg of Encino, Al Martinez of West Hills and Steve Oliver of Calabasas will compete in the tournament July 15-21 at The Racquet Centre in Studio City.

The finalists in the singles division and the champion doubles team will qualify for the Volvo Tennis/Los Angeles qualifying tournament July 27-28 at the L.A. Tennis Center at UCLA.

The Volvo Tennis/Los Angeles tournament will be held July 27-Aug. 4 at UCLA.

Junior winners: Ten area players won titles in the 47th U.S. Tennis Assn.-sanctioned Ventura Junior tournament last weekend.

Canoga Park’s Dylan Mann (boys’ 14s) and Simi Valley’s Lisa Richard (girls’ 18s) won singles titles.

Doubles champions included Westlake Village’s Stefan Hura and Ventura’s Darren Potkey (boys’ 18s), Simi Valley’s Jason and Jared Gaona (boys’ 14s), Simi Valley’s Lisa and Michelle Richard (girls’ 18s), and Thousand Oaks’ Kim Stewart and Tracy Paris (girls’ 16s).

Singles finalists included Ventura’s Claudia Muhlinghaus (girls’ 18s) and Oxnard’s Leslie Balta (girls’ 12s).

Doubles finalists included Ventura’s Alex Lynch and Ryan Slaton (boys’ 18s) and Oxnard’s Dianne Alvarez and Donella Bernardo (girls’ 14s).

The tournament included the daughter of former Los Angeles Dodger third baseman Ron Cey and the son of Barry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records.

Amanda Cey reached the semifinals of the girls’ 14 singles. Stefan Gordy lost in the quarterfinals of the boys’ 16 singles and, along with partner Bjorn Sahlin, lost in the third round of the boys’ 16 doubles.

Junior tournament: The 21st Junior Open will be held at Thousand Oaks Racquet Club on July 22-27. The tournament is sanctioned by the USTA.

Singles play will be limited to players aged 12 to 18. Doubles play is limited to players aged 14 to 18.

Information: 805-495-0437.