Irvin Nets Title, Caps Prep Career

High school tennis was short but sweet for Harvard-Westlake senior Marissa Irvin, who ended an abbreviated career Friday with a Southern Section title.

Irvin, who did not play high school tennis until this year, defeated West Torrance’s Morisa Yang, 6-4, 7-6 (7-1), in the singles finals at the Racquet Club of Irvine.

The Stanford-bound Irvin, a member of the U.S junior national team, had not played for the Wolverines because of a conflict with the previous coach over practice time.

This year, Harvard-Westlake hired a new coach who allowed Irvin to miss practices and some of the team’s matches so she could attend lessons with her private coach.

Although she did not drop a set during the tournament, Irvin was tested by Yang, a junior who was seeded No. 3. Yang lost the first set but went up, 4-0, and was a point from 5-0 before Irvin stormed back. Irvin said she was never concerned.

“Four-zero isn’t 6-0,” she said. “I wasn’t planning on playing a second set. I had my opportunities in every game of the second set. I just had to start taking advantage of them. It was extremely frustrating the way I was playing.”

Yang had trouble with Irvin’s cannon serves and wasn’t able to do much with her own. She was broken three consecutive times while serving for the second set.

In doubles, Santa Barbara senior Sarita Yardi went out the way she came in--with a title. Yardi won as a freshman with Pilar Montgomery and on Friday with senior Callie Grokenberger, beating San Marino’s Luana Magnani and Lindsey Irons-Kilmer, 6-3, 6-2.