Kulmaticki, Kennedy Still on Ojai High

Before a small gathering of tennis die-hards at Libbey Park and before the freshly squeezed orange juice was poured, Peter Kulmaticki and Robert Kennedy of Corona del Mar High were volleying their way to an Ojai title. Kulmaticki and Kennedy defeated John Paul Beck of Santa Barbara and Ashwin Bhargava of Dos Pueblos, 7-5, 6-2, to win the boys’ 16 final.

Kulmaticki, a junior, said he wished more people could have watched his performance.

“Not to brag or anything, but I was playing really good,” he said. “I don’t know what it was, but I loved playing up there.”

Kulmaticki also loved the idea of winning an Ojai title on the tournament’s 100th anniversary.

“To get your name engraved on that trophy, to see all those other great college players, that was great,” Kulmaticki said. “Just watching [the] college doubles makes you want to play better.”

The only drawback, Kulmaticki said, was the competition, or lack of it. Kulmaticki and Kennedy had not played together very often, but they were seeded second in the eight-team field. They had a bye in the first round and beat Johny Nguyen and Eric Ho of Alhambra, 6-0, 6-1, in the semifinals.

“So many good teams played the 16 doubles last year, I was surprised there wasn’t a bigger draw and better players,” he said. “It was still huge to win up there, but it would have been more special if we were tested more.”

During Corona del Mar’s season, Kulmaticki has played with three partners--Kennedy, Randy Myers and now, Mike Bean. He and Bean have had the best chemistry, going 14-1 in five dual matches for the Sea Kings (17-6), who are second ranked in the county.

“We have a lot of confidence right now,” Kulmaticki said. “We know we can guarantee coach [Tim] Mang three points.”

Bean and Kulmaticki figure to be seeded first or second in this week’s Pacific Coast League tournament, which begins at 1 p.m. today at University High.

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OJAI TALES

It wasn’t one of their proudest moments, but at least Capistrano Valley’s Leigh Ann Merryman and Carolyn Mitchell can say they played doubles the year Ojai turned 100. Merryman and Mitchell won their first-round match, 6-0, 6-2, over Katy Dunlap and Kacie McBride of Bakersfield. But they were manhandled by the top-seeded team of Ashley Backus of San Diego and Caylan Leslie of Corona del Mar, 6-2, 6-0.

“This is more of a fun thing,” Merryman said. “Carolyn and I don’t play doubles together and it showed.”

Said Mitchell: “Apparently, I don’t play doubles, period. All those people watching, half our boys’ team, and I play like that. Pretty embarrassing.”

At least Merryman and Mitchell will have another day. Merryman has signed with Penn State, Mitchell with UC Riverside. Merryman planned to major in nursing, but nursing and tennis don’t mix very well at Penn State. So she has switched to communications.

“I decided I really wanted to play tennis,” Merryman said. “As a nursing major, you have to live in a hospital your senior year. I couldn’t do that and play tennis.”

Merryman’s toughest adjustment to Happy Valley might be the weather. “The coldest place I’ve ever been is Big Bear,” she said.

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LOOKING AHEAD

The Pacific Coast League singles tournament promises to be as competitive as any in the state. Only two players advance out of each league tournament and qualify for the Southern Section individual tournament--leaving several high-ranked national players out in the cold. Among those expected to enter the singles draw are Corona del Mar’s Brian Morton and Cameron Ball and University’s Aaron Yovan, Henry Mak and Jack Li.

Morton, who swept all three sets from the Trojans in both meetings, is expected to be the tournament’s top-seeded player.

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TOURNAMENTS CLASH AGAIN

The overlap is not as severe this year, but the Southern Section individual finals and the Quiksilver/Roxy Junior Open will be held at the same time. May 27, the day of the Southern Section semifinals and finals, is the opening day of the Quiksilver national event at Los Caballeros Racquet Club in Fountain Valley.