Peninsula Is on an Island by Itself

Palos Verdes Peninsula has won the Southern Section Division I girls’ tennis championship every year but one since the school’s inception in 1991, and there’s no mystery as to why.

With tennis, as in real estate, the key is location, location, location.

“It’s no secret where the pockets of tennis are, and we’re in one of them,” Peninsula Coach Tom Cox said. “We’ve had an awful lot of talent come through here.”

With Colby Comstock and Shilpa Joshi, the top players from last year’s championship team, returning for their senior seasons, there is no questioning Peninsula’s place among title contenders this fall. Since losing in the 1997 final to Corona del Mar, the Panthers have won three consecutive Division I championships.

Comstock and Joshi were freshmen when Peninsula started its current championship streak, and they have no intention of seeing it end in their final high school season.

“The concept of losing, we understand it, and we understand the consequences of it,” said Comstock, ranked No. 27 in Southern California in the girls’ 18 division by the U.S. Tennis Assn. “It just makes us work harder.”

Winning makes it easy to get with the program.

“It’s definitely great to be a part of it,” said Joshi, ranked No. 55 in Southern California in the 18s. “We kind of are expected to win. There is pressure, but our team copes with it really well.”

In addition to Comstock and Joshi, four more players return from last year--sophomores MacCall Harkins and Alex Jurewitz and seniors Nikki LaBrucherie and Danielle Holt.

Peninsula finished 28-1 last season, its only loss to Beverly Hills in the National High School All-American tournament final in October.

Peninsula annually posts impressive records despite tough schedules. This year’s includes two league matches against Beverly Hills, the defending Division II champion, and nonleague matches against Division IV champion Corona del Mar, Division V winner Laguna Beach, Division I runner-up Dana Point Dana Hills, Division II runner-up Fullerton Troy and Division IV runner-up Calabasas.

“Everybody’s gunning for [us],” Cox said. “I want to get the toughest competition and give the girls a challenge. I don’t want any surprises [at the end of the season].”

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In the City Section, defending champion Carson is favored to repeat with the return of Judith De Vera, last year’s City singles runner-up and ranked 28th in the USTA 16s.

But the strength in Southern California is still in the Southern Section. After Peninsula, the best of the rest are expected to be Corona del Mar, Palm Desert and Fullerton Troy.

Corona del Mar might have the deepest lineup of any school in Southern California. The Sea Kings have six top-notch junior-circuit players, the best of whom is Anne Yelsey, who won a pair of USTA Girls’ 16 Super National doubles titles with Riza Zalameda this summer and is the No. 10-ranked singles player nationally in her age group.

Palm Desert will try to defend its Division III championship behind junior Robyn Baker, a quarterfinalist in the USTA Girls’ 18 Super National Hard Court Championships last month, and sophomore Jennifer Joy, who played No. 2 singles last year.

Troy, which has advanced to the Division II final the past two years, will be trying to make it six Freeway League titles in a row. The Warriors are led by the Fermin sisters--Veronica, a senior, Serena, a junior, and Clare, a freshman.

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Top individuals to watch include Villa Park sophomore Lindsey Nelson, who placed third in the USTA 16 Super National Hard Court Championships last month and is ranked ninth in the nation in that division.... Anaheim Canyon sophomore Tracy Lin is rated 29th in 16s and No. 73 in 18s nationally.... Lori Stern of Carpinteria Cate was a semifinalist in Southern Section singles competition and won the Ojai tournament 16-and-under title last year.... Melissa Selmanson and Gia Nafarrete helped Los Alamitos to the Sunset League championship and advanced to the semifinals of the Southern Section doubles tournament.... Jessica Nguyen, a semifinalist at the recent USTA 14 Super National Hard Court Championships, has enrolled at Granada Hills, which lost Christine Dao, who decided to play volleyball.