TENNIS / DANA HADDAD : Boisclair Trying On 16s for Size

More than a few 14-year-old girls will sigh in relief this weekend. Erin Boisclair of Agoura Hills, one of the most dominant age-group players in the country, will skip a national junior tournament.

Instead, Boisclair, who turned 14 in January, will pick on somebody her own size--which means a bunch of 16-year-olds will cringe in San Diego, site of the USTA Girls’ 16 National Championships that starts this weekend.

Boisclair is ranked No. 1 in the nation at 16-and-under and is top-seeded in the tournament. She’s 5-feet-8, strong enough to use a one-hand backhand and has learned how to serve and volley. She also said she is mentally sharp.

“I am prepared,” she said. “I’m ready as I’m ever going to be.”

Boisclair has not lost a match in the United States this year, and her singles championship in the Easter Bowl in April in Miami stands out as the biggest in her junior career. She scored a resounding 6-2, 6-0 decision over Aubrie Rippener of Chico, Calif., who is seeded No. 2 in the USTA National.

The tournament opens Sunday at Morley Field in San Diego. Other area entries are Jessica Kessler of Studio City, Kirsten Gross of Calabasas and Brandi Braverman of Encino. But the player to watch is Boisclair.

“She’s worked real hard this year and the results are showing,” said Linda Howell, Boisclair’s coach. “Is she peaking? Yeah.”

Prior to this year, Boisclair won only one major juniors tournament (the Southern California Girls’ 14 Sectional in 1993), but the USTA Junior Development program saw enough potential in Boisclair to send her to Europe this summer along with its other top age-group players in International Tennis Federation competition.

In three girls’ 18-and-under events and three 16-and-under events, she did not advance past the semifinals. Her best showings were a third-round loss to top-seeded Dally Rondriantefy of Madagascar, 6-1, 6-1, in 18s at Prado, Italy, and a semifinal loss defeat to top-seeded Jessica Stech of South Africa, 6-3, 6-2, in 16s at Torino, Italy.

Boisclair said every phase of her game--her serve, net play, ground strokes and mental approach--is a level higher this year. Which might explain how she jumped from No. 5 in the country in 14s at the end of 1993 to her No. 1 ranking in 16s.

In the USTA Girls’ 14 National Championships last year, Boisclair lost to third-seeded Kristina Triska of Boca Raton, Fla. in straight sets. But Boisclair overpowered Triska, 6-4, 6-1, this year in the semifinals of the Easter Bowl.

“I was really mentally tough that whole tournament,” Boisclair said. “My game was just really on. Every match I was prepared. And so I’m looking forward to nationals.”

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The answer woman: Khim Stithem cringes every time she sees them coming. Lost fans at the this week’s Los Angeles Open at UCLA see the walkie-talkie in her hand and ask her for directions to the nearest drinking fountain, to the restrooms, to their seats.

“Every year someone asks me who’s in the finals,” Stithem said. “It’s amazing. They pay $36 for a ticket on the day of the finals and they don’t even know who’s playing.”

Little do they realize that Stithem has greater concerns. The Burbank resident and recreational player is second in command to tournament director Bobby Kramer, which means she’ll likely know the answer to even the most ridiculous question.

Stithem oversees every phase of the operation: ticket sales, promotions, staffing, construction, seedings, you name it. It’s a year-round job. At tournament time, Stithem is in charge of a 600-person crew, about 300 of whom are volunteers.

“It’s so stimulating to see what you work all year for come together,” she said. “We’re quite a team. There’s a certain amount of excitement and pride at what we’re doing.”

But when Stithem shows up for work next Monday, it’ll feel like the day she graduated from college.

“You’re relieved and you feel this overwhelming sense of accomplishment,” she said. “But at the same time you’re sad it’s over. It’s a loss.”

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Miscellaneous: Jessica Improta of Camarillo and Shera Wiegler of Calabasas, competing for Southern California, have 2-1 singles records thus far in the USTA Girls’ 16 Zone Team Championships at Salt Lake City. Wiegler defeated Keawe Ayau of Hawaii, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2, Wednesday, and Improta lost to Ashlee Ferlito of the Northern California Section, 6-3, 6-3. The final round is set for today.

Officials at the USTA Girls’ 18 National Championships in San Jose won’t publicize their draw until Saturday, but Meilen Tu of Northridge and Ania Bleszynski of Thousand Oaks are expected to be seeded high. Krissy Hamilton of Agoura Hills also is expected to earn a top-16 seeding. . . . Mike Bryan is seeded third and twin Bob is seeded fourth at the Boys’ 16 National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich., which start Sunday.