Peninsula Win Streak Is 72 After Division I Title

Newport Harbor senior Jennifer Jacob took away something positive from losing easily to three Peninsula High tennis players Tuesday at the Claremont Club.

“When they turn pro you could say that you played them,” Jacob said after Peninsula beat the Sailors, 15-3, to win its third consecutive Southern Section Division I girls’ championship.

Peninsula (24-0) remained undefeated in 72 matches since opening in 1991. Newport Harbor finished 22-3.

Panther senior Janet Lee, who won three sets without losing a game, plans to take a year after graduation to practice and play tournaments as an amateur. Then she will decide whether to turn professional or play at the collegiate level.

Because the Sailors were aware of the talent of Lee and senior Nicole London, they combined their top two singles players as a doubles team, basically conceding the singles matches.

“We thought it would be fun to go out on a winning note,” said Newport Harbor’s Sarah Hawkins, who along with Mara Colaizzi made the move from singles to doubles.

Hawkins and Colaizzi, who will be playing in the Southern Section individual tournament next month, defeated Jenny Cohen and Allyson Reeves, 6-2, twins Shana and Alyson Gray, 6-3, and Candace Corette and Kerry Giardino, 6-2.

“We thought they’d stack it,” junior Alyson Gray said. “We’re used to playing weak teams and it was fun to play a tough team.”

Nicole London, a nationally ranked player and former member of the U.S. Junior National team, beat Jacob, 6-1, Emily Barker, 6-0, and Katie Canright, 6-0.

Panther senior Amber Basica, usually a doubles player, replaced sister Amanda in singles. Basica won, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.

Amanda, a sophomore, is in New Zealand playing for the World Youth Cup 16-under division. Another missing Peninsula player was junior Amanda Augustus, who is playing in the National Indoors 18-under in Detroit.

“They are so strong a team and have so much depth,” Newport Harbor Coach Fletcher Olson said.

Except for the losses to Hawkins and Colaizzi, the Panthers doubles teams swept their sets.

Seniors Cohen and Reeves defeated Lindsay Olson and Venessa Godbey, 6-0, and Genevieve Evarts and Kim Lewis, 6-2. The Gray sisters beat Olson-Godbey, 6-3, and Evarts-Lewis, 6-1. Corette, a senior, and Giardino, a sophomore, defeated Olson-Godbey, 6-4, and Evarts-Lewis, 6-2.

“(Peninsula) could easily beat a number of college teams,” Jacob said. “They are definitely an incredible team.”