Reitz Wins Southern Section Singles Title

Two months ago, Brittany Reitz was waiting to regain her eligibility. Today, the Corona del Mar High junior is the Southern Section individual singles champion.

Reitz, who sat out the first six weeks of the season after transferring from San Juan Capistrano St. Margaret’s, handily defeated Irvine Woodbridge’s Elizabeth Exon and Susanna Lingman to win the title Friday at the Claremont Club.

The third-seeded Reitz defeated Exon, 6-1, 6-2, in the semifinals and the top-seeded Lingman, 6-3, 6-1, in a one-hour final. She became the first Orange County player to win the singles title since Anne Mall of Dana Hills in 1990.

Reitz, who played briefly last year at Santa Ana Mater Dei, regained her eligibility Oct. 15 and qualified for the individual tournament by playing the required five Pacific Coast League matches. She lost to teammate Anne Yelsey in the league final, but went on to win the section tournament by winning her next six matches in straight sets.

In the doubles final, Palos Verdes Peninsula seniors Christine Setian and Jamie Pagliano upset the defending champions, Sandra and Carla Rocha of Claremont, 6-1, 2-6, 6-3.

“We’ve both beaten them before with different partners, so we knew how to play them,” Pagliano said.