SOUTHERN SECTION DIVISION II TENNIS : Laguna Beach Comes Back, Tops Edison by Four Games

Laguna Beach’s No. 1 doubles team, Ashley Smith and Tara Kuhnert, was having a bad day against Edison in Thursday’s Southern Section Division II girls’ semifinal match at Edison High School.

After dropping their first two sets, however, Smith and Kuhnert rallied in the third round to defeat Edison’s Heather Holmes and Nikki Mizerek and pull the Artists into a 9-9 tie and give them the victory because of a 78-74 advantage in games.

The victory put Laguna Beach (23-1), which was trailing, 9-6, in the third round, in Tuesday’s division final against Arcadia, an 11-7 winner over Estancia. The top-seeded Artists have not been to the finals since 1981.

“What a match,” Laguna Beach Coach Bob Walton said. “Edison played really well. Their doubles teams are the best we’ve played all year. They were so aggressive. They took the net away from our girls.”

Edison won seven of the nine doubles sets, outscoring the Artists, 48-30. Leading the Chargers was their No. 1 doubles team of Lynne Thiel and Michelle Turner, who swept to a 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 victory.

But it was Smith and Kuhnert, both juniors, who rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the final set to win, 6-3, and allow the Artists to advance. Edison, the fifth-seeded team, ended its season 21-2.

Offsetting Edison’s advantage in doubles was Laguna Beach’s three freshman singles players, led by No. 3 Lindsay Weiss’ 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 victory. The Artists took seven of the nine singles sets, outscoring the Chargers, 48-26, in games.

Laguna Beach’s Michelle Bray defeated Susie Krum, 6-1, and Amanda Hastings-Phillips beat Kelly Foster, 6-4, in the third round to help the Artists rally from the 9-6 deficit.

“Our freshmen are incredible,” Walton said. “In the end, Weiss did it for us. She is a real competitor who plays a smart game with a lot of emotion.”

Edison Coach Amy Beard lauded her team’s effort.

“Nobody expected us to get this far,” she said. “We served notice. They (Laguna Beach) had to fight for it. They’re No. 1 and we’re No. 5. We’ll be back.”

In the other semifinal:

Arcadia 11, Estancia 7--Pam Trump swept her singles matches, 6-1, 6-1, 6-0, for Arcadia (19-0), which survived a strong doubles charge from Estancia (18-6). Kristina Grigaitis and Lauren Weaver swept their doubles matches, 6-1, 6-1, 6-4, for the Eagles.