Harvard-Westlake’s Irvin Wins Singles Championship

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.

Irvin is a member of the U.S junior national team and she recently signed to play for Stanford. But because of a conflict with the previous Harvard-Westlake coach over practice time, Irvin had never represented her high school. 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 third. Yang lost the first set but then went up, 4-0, and was a point from 5-0 before Irvin stormed back.

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

Yardi and Grokenberger lost the first 10 points but kept their composure and frustrated Magnani and Irons-Kilmer with well-placed volleys and deliberate play.