PREP TENNIS / SOUTHERN SECTION INDIVIDUAL FINALS : Stunova Hands DeVera Her First Loss of Season

Villa Park junior Faye DeVera has been nothing but steady all season--leading her team to the Southern Section Division II title without dropping a set. Friday in the section individual finals, DeVera met someone steadier--Oxnard Rio Mesa’s Zuzona Stunova.

DeVera dropped her first set of the season to Stunova in a tiebreaker. An hour later, she lost her second set and first match, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, at the Lindborg Racquet Club. DeVera led the first set, 4-1, and the second, 4-2, but she was unable to slow Stunova’s powerful and consistent baseline game.

Though Stunova rarely ventured inside the baseline, she was able to dictate many of points by hammering ground strokes deep in the court. Eventually, she would force DeVera into an error or she would hit a winner.

Stunova’s game was no stranger to DeVera, who lost to Stunova in straight sets at Ojai this year.

“I thought about changing up the pace and coming to the net more,” DeVera said. “But I didn’t want to have to play a different game when it’s that close of a match. But I probably should have.”

DeVera tried to take some pace off the ball occasionally and she did volley more than Stunova, but she wasn’t very successful at either tactic.

“It’s hard to take a ball that fast and hit a moon ball,” DeVera said. “And I’m still kind of new at coming into the net. I didn’t close the net off enough, because she wasn’t lobbing me.”

Stunova, who moved to Oxnard two years ago from Pilsen, Czechoslovakia said she knew what to expect from DeVera, who like herself is a hard-hitter. But that didn’t make her two-hour battle any easier.

“She hits hard from the baseline and has a really good serve,” Stunova said. “She was more patient.”

Stunova admitted being scared when she lost two match points in the second set and momentarily let DeVera back in the match.

“I was nervous,” she said. “This is a big tournament. I was thinking maybe I could be champion.”

Corona del Mar’s Nina Vaughan and Woodbridge’s Natalie Exon aspired to be champions, but Vaughan lost to Stunova, 6-4, 6-4, in the semifinals and Exon fell to DeVera, 7-6 (7-2), 6-1.

Vaughan had some chances in both sets against Stunova, but she also had a hard time dictating points.

“She hit a lot of winners,” Vaughan said. “She was pulling me off the court. I didn’t have it in me [Friday] to run the balls down.”

Vaughan said her body was simply run down.

“I was tired,” she said. “I’ve been really sick. I should be home in bed. But I had a good year. I did better than last year and I’ve got two years left.”

Exon, who has one year left to win the singles title, lost to DeVera in the semifinals, 7-6, (7-2), 6-1.

“I have to credit her for playing well,” Exon said. “She picked up her game in tiebreaker and kept it at that level the rest of the way.”

In doubles, Corona del Mar’s Megan Wachtler and Alissa Scott were unable to reach the finals for the second year in a row. They were beaten in the semifinals by the eventual champions, Shera Weigler and Kirsten Gross of Calabasas, 6-1, 6-0. Katie Tierney and Michele Johnson of Dana Hills lost to Santa Barbara’s Sarita Yardi and Pilar Montgomery, 6-0, 6-2, in the other semifinal.