Sailors Use Their Top Guns to Reach Final

The Newport Harbor girls’ tennis team rode its top four players into the Southern Section Division I final against Palos Verdes Peninsula. The second-seeded Sailors got all the points they needed Thursday from their top two singles players, Natalie Braverman and Audra Adams, and their top doubles team of Jenny Meyer and Kristen Case as they rolled over third-seeded Dana Hills, 12-6, at Newport Harbor.

Braverman, a sophomore who was coming off a sensational week of tennis in Hawaii at a USTA team event, dropped only five games in beating Kate Romm, Chelsy Thompson and Katy Pooler. Adams, a senior who has signed with Mississippi, was almost as tough, winning 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. Case and Meyer, both seniors, lost only three games in winning their three sets.

“They beat us pretty badly last year in the quarterfinals, so we didn’t take them lightly,” Meyer said. “And we wanted another shot at Peninsula, so we had the motivation.”

Top-seeded Peninsula (23-0) handed Newport Harbor its only loss in 20 matches this season, a 12-6 setback two months ago. In that match, Newport Harbor didn’t win a doubles set. Thursday, the Sailors won five sets against a deep Dana Hills team that gave Peninsula a scare this season.

Newport Harbor and Dana Hills (20-3) were tied, 3-3, after the first round, but the Sailors took control in the second round, winning four of six sets. The biggest win came at No. 3 doubles, where Sarah Barker and Allison Schneider rallied from a 5-2 deficit to beat Jenny Dubow and Kristen Bronowicki, 7-5.

In the last round, Dana Hills’ only points came from the No. 3 doubles team of Danielle Borish and Kristen Wilson, who beat Amanda Collopy and Megan Hawkins, 7-6 (7-3).

Dana Hills Coach Jim Wilson said his team’s inexperience might have been the difference.

“I think it was the maturity of their team,” said Wilson, who played six freshmen. “We were in a good position after the first round, but their depth took over. We can learn and turn this into a real positive next year.”

Newport Harbor isn’t looking toward next year, not with seven seniors and Braverman, who has lost only once all season. Case said she expects her teammates to be more prepared for Peninsula this time around.

“I don’t expect us to be intimidated,” she said. “I know I was nervous the first time. But we want to win. For many of us, it will be our last chance.”

The finals will be Monday at the Claremont Club. Three years ago in the final, Peninsula defeated top-seeded Newport Harbor, 13-5. But this year, Newport is the underdog.

“We’ll go in there with nothing to lose,” Meyer said. “The last time we played them we put too much pressure on ourselves. This time, the pressure is on them.”

In the other Division I semifinal:

Palos Verdes Peninsula 13, Corona del Mar 5--No. 2 singles player Anne Yelsey swept, 6-1, 6-0, 6-4, and No. 1 Nadia Vaughan won two of three sets, 0-6, 6-1, 6-4, to account for the only points for host Corona del Mar (16-6).

It was the second time this year Peninsula (24-0), the top-seeded team, has defeated Corona del Mar by 13-5.

Peninsula’s doubles teams dominated the Sea Kings, who had a chance to steal a couple of doubles sets in the final round.

Corona del Mar’s No. 1 team of Leslie Damion and Katie Griffith had a close match with Peninsula’s No. 2 Christie Tjang and Caitlin Blashaw before losing, 4-6.