TENNIS / DIVISION III GIRLS’ CHAMPIONSHIPS : El Dorado’s Osunsanmi a Hero This Time

For the second consecutive season, El Dorado’s fate in the Southern Section Division III girls’ tennis finals was left in the hands of Yetee Osunsanmi.

In last season’s final, Osunsanmi lost the final set of the match, 6-4, and Pasadena Poly went on to win the championship by three games. Tuesday, Osunsanmi again was playing in the final set of the day. But this season, a more mature Osunsanmi was able to handle the pressure, helping El Dorado to a 9-9 tie and defeating Hemet on games, 87-74, in Tuesday’s final at the Claremont Tennis Club.

“Sometimes I get nervous when I’m the last one playing and everyone is watching,” said Osunsanmi, a junior. “This time it really helped to have my dad and my teammates there to cheer me on.”

Osunsanmi was a key component in the victory by the top-seeded Golden Hawks. After losing two grueling sets, 6-7 (5-7), 5-7, Osunsanmi rebounded and took a 6-2 victory over Hemet’s Heather Costello to seal the match.

“I was really upset after losing those first two,” Osunsanmi said. “I just tried to put it out of my mind and concentrate on the last one.”

Although losing the first two sets, the 11 games that Osunsanmi picked up in her losses were crucial to the Golden Hawks’ victory.

“That kid lost two close ones,” El Dorado Coach John Cyrus said. “But she found the guts and tenacity to come back and get the job done.”

Going into the final round, the teams were tied 6-6. Third-seeded Hemet (22-2) took a 9-6 lead, quickly winning all three doubles sets and leaving El Dorado in need of a sweep in singles.

While freshman Amanda Oldridge quickly put away Hemet’s Melissa Onstine, 6-1, El Dorado’s Michelle Weisz took a 3-0 lead over Sria Fuchs. Fuchs battled back to within 4-5, but Weisz held on for the 6-4 victory.

Oldridge put on an impressive performance while winning, 6-1, 6-0, 6-1; Weisz finished, 6-1, 6-1, 6-4.

Hemet Coach Bob Vietin juggled his lineup for the match. Hoping to bolster his doubles, Vietin moved his top singles’ player, Jennifer Barnes, to No. 2 doubles.

Overall, his strategy worked, as Hemet won seven of nine matches, with a 50-34 margin in games. But Susan Surapruik and Brittany McMillan pulled off a 6-4 victory over Barnes and Breanne Balcunas in the second round, giving El Dorado a key victory. Kiki Lindquist and Annie McMillan got the only other victory in doubles, beating Danielle Devereaux and Amy Lee, 6-3.

While the rotation may have helped its doubles, it also hurt the singles, as El Dorado won seven of nine sets, and 53 games to 24 for Hemet.