A Win-Win Situation in Tennis

Freshman Ryan Cate of Newbury Park High walked off the court with his head spinning after playing in his first high school tennis match.

In an opener two weeks ago at Rio Mesa, Cate turned to an opponent and asked which school had won the match. “We did,” came the response. Seconds later, one of Cate’s teammates answered the question the same way: “We did.”

Turns out both replies were correct. Each school has recorded the Feb. 27 nonleague match as a victory. Sound confusing? It did to Cate.

“I came home and told my parents that we won, but I told them it probably won’t say that in the papers,” he said.

It seems high school tennis has a tiny problem: How the heck do you keep score?

Newbury Park won 10 of 18 sets and claimed a 10-8 victory. That’s how Marmonte League teams keep score. One set, one point.

Rio Mesa, however, plays in the Channel League, which scores matches differently. In accordance with the system used in last season’s Southern Section playoffs, doubles victories each count 1 1/3 points.

So, Rio Mesa, which lost all nine singles matches but won eight of nine doubles sets, claimed a 10 2/3-10 1/3 victory.

All of which gave Cate, whose family moved to the county from Rochester, N.Y., at the start of the school year, a California headache.

“It was a whole lot different in Rochester,” he said. “I never heard of this scoring system. I kind of understand it but not really. It’s stupid.”

Even the coaches agree on that.

“If you win 10 of 18 sets but don’t win the match, that to me is ridiculous,” Newbury Park Coach John Crawford said. “It’s a bad system. My goodness, where in tennis do you get more credit in doubles than singles?”

Oddly enough, Rio Mesa Coach Steve Worthington agrees, even though he still claims victory, saying the home team gets the final word.

“It’s wrong to win a match when you lose 10 sets,” he said. “Even after the win, there was a feeling of discomfort.”

Imagine how Cate felt.

“I’m trying to get a grip on (the scoring), but it doesn’t make sense,” he said.

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The Southern Section is trying to get a grip too. On Thursday, the section reversed last year’s ruling, again making a doubles victory count one point. The system goes into effect for the playoffs this spring.

“I guess the other system turned out to be a one-year trial,” said Bill Clark, the section administrator in charge of tennis.

Worthington was relieved when he learned of the ruling, saying the Channel League probably would adopt the change immediately. In fact, just to show how confusing the whole situation had become, Worthington noticed that league schools already had adopted the one-point scoring system.

“Yeah, I checked the paper and it looked like everybody was using it,” he said.

Phew. Glad everybody is finally on the same page.

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Opponents taking any pleasure in the shellacking Clovis West handed the Buena girls’ basketball team should celebrate quickly.

As usual, the Bulldogs will have plenty of bite next season.

Buena suffered one of the worst defeats in Coach Joe Vaughan’s 20 years with the program, losing in Fresno on Thursday in the state regional playoffs, 67-39. Although disappointed with the way his team played--Buena committed 27 turnovers--Vaughan gave his young players high marks for a 24-4 season.

“We had a good club and we improved all season long, but we didn’t play well against Clovis and we’re struggling with that now,” he said. “Our press seemed to bother them and I thought we could play with them, but we made so many errors.”

Reluctant to make excuses, he nonetheless mentioned the team’s arduous travel schedule during the playoffs.

Despite starting postseason play as the top-seeded team in the Southern Section Division I-A bracket, Buena played only one home game.

After a first-round bye and second-round home game, the Bulldogs played at Palmdale and Chino before meeting Mater Dei at Long Beach State in the section championship.

Last week, Buena traveled to Poway in San Diego and two days later played at Clovis West in Fresno.

But Vaughan is happy to be back home in Ventura--on its return trip Friday the team narrowly missed the storms and flooding that closed Interstate 5.

He already is looking toward 1995-96, saying, “I’ll be surprised if we’re not better next year.”

The team loses two seniors, but top players Eboni Conley, Nicole Greathouse and Kori Sebek return. Plus the Buena feeder system continues apace.

For the second consecutive season, the Buena junior varsity was 21-0. Under the direction of coaches Ann Wilson and Leslie Carpenter, both former Vaughan players, the junior varsity has lost just one game in three seasons.

Vaughan also is excited about the development of 5-foot-6 freshman Renae Hofmann. “She’s one of the best shooters we’ll have come into the program in the past six years or so.”

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Despite a spectacular record at Buena, Vaughan has unfinished business.

The winningest girls’ basketball coach in the state with 476 victories against 49 losses, Vaughan has led Buena to two state and four Southern Section championships.

In 20 seasons, the Bulldogs have played in 11 section title games, including the past six.

But the team hasn’t traveled to the Bay Area for the state championship game since 1984.

“I keep telling my players, I’ve got leftover BART tickets,” he said referring to the Bay Area Rapid Transit. “I’m still waiting to go back to use them.”