Woodbridge Dumps Overconfident Newport Harbor

It seems incomprehensible that a team could go into a match for a league title feeling overconfident, but Newport Harbor senior Vanessa Godbey said that’s exactly what happened to the Sailors in their 11-7 loss to Woodbridge Monday.

Newport Harbor defeated Woodbridge, 10-8, three weeks ago while Woodbridge’s top doubles player, sophomore Danielle Hustedt, sat out because of mononucleosis. But Hustedt was healthy Monday and she helped lead Woodbridge to its first outright Sea View League girls’ tennis title.

“Everyone kind of expected to win the same way they did before,” Godbey said. “I just think Woodbridge wanted it more. They knew they were the underdogs and that motivated them.”

Hustedt and her doubles partner Michele Stiefel set the tone early when they upset previously undefeated Emily Barker and Brooke Taylor, 6-3, in the first round. Barker and Taylor had been 36-0. Hustedt and Stiefel went on to win their next two sets, 6-2, 6-1, while Barker and Taylor lost another set to Courtney Tenerelli and Natalie Mitten, 7-5.

Woodbridge (18-2, 9-1), which also clinched the No. 1 ranking in Orange County and the No. 1 seeding in the Southern Section Division III playoffs, also got big performances from its top two singles players, senior Natalie Exon and freshman Adriana Hockicko. Exon and Hockicko swept their sets by the identical scores of 6-2, 6-0, 6-2. Hockicko lost to Godbey last month but she won, 6-2, Monday.

“I just went for more things,” Hockicko said. “We didn’t kid around today and it seemed like they were a little tight.”

Godbey agreed.

“I think because they switched their doubles lineup with Hustedt, some of the girls were a little nervous,” Godbey said.

Nervous and overconfident? A strange combination, but a deadly one for Newport Harbor (17-2, 8-2), which came in ranked No. 1 in Orange County.

“I just hope everybody isn’t too upset by this,” Godbey said. “I’m hoping we can forget about not winning league and concentrate on CIF. Our goal is to play Corona del Mar in the finals.”

Woodbridge, which shared the league title with Corona del Mar last year, took care of its goals one at a time.

“They all had their warrior faces on today,” Woodbridge Coach Joan Willett said. “We didn’t play tight today. We played determined.”

In Golden West League tennis:

Rosary 18, Westminster 0--For the third consecutive year Rosary (19-1, 10-0) went undefeated in league.

In the Century League:

Villa Park 12, Orange 6--Villa Park (13-3, 9-0) clinched its third consecutive league title.