Taft Ends Palisades’ Title Reign With 6-1 Rout in City 4-A Final : Girls’ tennis: Undefeated Toreadors sweep first four matches and snap Dolphins’ streak of championships at eight.

After four straight years of climbing the walls because of losses in the City Section 4-A Division tennis final, Taft High girls’ Coach Marvin Jones scaled a fence Friday after his team won the championship, 6-1, over nemesis Palisades at The Racquet Centre in Studio City.

“Four years ago when we made the City final, the girls asked me what I would do if we won,” Jones said. “I told them I’d probably be so excited I’d climb the nearest fence and yell ‘Taft.’ I was finally able to keep my promise.”

The Toreadors (16-0) left little to suspense, winning the first four matches to clinch the title and end Palisades’ eight-year streak of City championships. Five of those titles (1984, 1988-91) had come at Taft’s expense.

Sophomore Julia Feldman started the rout with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Nancy Kwon in No. 2 singles, and that was followed quickly by a 6-0, 6-1 win by senior Krista Ramyead in No. 4 singles and a 6-2, 6-2 triumph by junior Brahna Pastorini over Heather Zand in No. 1 singles.

That left it to sophomore Marissa Parker and freshman Lydia Daniller, Taft’s No. 3 doubles team, to put away the Dolphins. Ahead, 6-1, 5-2, the duo blew three match points before Parker banged away a volley to defeat Carolyn Lee and Allison Fischer.

“We knew we had already won two matches, but we didn’t know we had won a third,” Parker said. “It was a big surprise to see everyone come running out to congratulate us.”

Keri Borzello and Rose Lopez added a win in No. 2 doubles, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, over Jennie Wilson and Allegra Piaggi, and Kimberly Shapiro survived foot cramps and a 2-hour, 40-minute marathon to defeat Bentleigh Borgeson in No. 3 singles.

Shapiro, Pastorini and Feldman each capped off the season with 16-0 individual records.

Palisades’ lone win came from Torri Ellman and Melissa Cherin, the City’s top-ranked doubles team, 6-2, 7-5, over Astra Ramyead and Alicia Whelan, only the second loss all season for Taft’s No. 1 team.

“I am probably the most elated coach in California right now,” said Jones, who is in his 10th year as Taft coach. “It’s like playing a poker hand where you always have the second-best hand. This year, we definitely had the best hand.”

Feldman, who transferred to Taft from Notre Dame this fall, said the victory was made all the more special because it came against Palisades (13-4).

“We were more hyped up for it,” Feldman said. “We wanted it more.”

With the reign of the Dolphins over, Taft players were talking confidently about a dynasty of their own. And with their top three singles players and two of three doubles teams returning, the Toreadors might be able to back that boast.

“Now it’s our turn,” Daniller said.