Tars’ support system in place

Rick Devereux

Tennis is supposed to be an individual sport. Even in doubles, it

comes down to one person either making or missing a shot.

But the Newport Harbor High girls tennis team used a very

team-oriented approach to its 11-7 Sea View League victory at Laguna

Hills Monday.

The win wrapped up the regular season for the Sailors, who enter

the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs as the league’s

second-place representative. The first round is Nov. 11 and pairings

will be announced Monday.

The Sailors will also compete in the Sea View League individual

tournament, beginning today at Newport Harbor.

“[Our team is] very energetic and cheers each other on throughout

the match,” Coach Fletcher Olson said. “They are trying to be

supportive of one another.”

Constant cheers of, “Let’s go Newport,” were shouted by Sailor

players when a teammate made a crucial point. And Sailors also

cheered their teammates on during breaks in their own sets.

The team unity helped Newport Harbor (13-7, 7-3 in league) seal

the win by the second rotation.

The Sailors took a 4-2 lead after the opening round, getting

singles wins from Jill Casserly, Chrissy Schwartz and Melissa Chinn,

as well as the doubles tandem of Megan McKay and Carly Adams.

Singles wins by Chinn and Schwartz and doubles triumphs by

partners Brittany Cluck and Alex McIntosh, as well as Brittany

Sturgess and Sasha Dunlap, gave the visitors a comfortable 8-4 lead.

McKay-Adams and Cluck-McIntosh were victorious in the third round

in doubles and Chinn completed her singles sweep.

“We have depended on [Chinn] this whole year,” Olson said. “She

has not let us down.”

Chinn said the team camaraderie motivates her to play well.

“The teammates pump me up,” Chinn said. “All of us are friends off

of the court. Each one of us is trying our hardest. It’s nice having

everyone behind you and cheering for you.”

Olson said the team aspect is encouraged.

“The kids have weekly team dinners,” Olson said. “They go to

someone’s house every Monday. The parents are very supportive. It’s

more than just 12 kids playing and cheering. It’s 12 families. The parents don’t leave after their girl is done, either. They will stay

to watch and support the whole team.”

With second place secured heading into the match, the Sailors were

polishing techniques against the Hawks.

“I want them concentrating on where they are supposed to be on the

court,” Olson said. “We won’t tweak the lineup too much for the

tournament, but we may make minor adjustments.”

Even though not much was at stake in the match, the desire to win

was not lessened.

“It feels good to win,” Chinn said. “My mentality is to play to

win and not to hold back.”

That attitude carries over to the rest of the team.

“The strength of this team is its perseverance,” Olson said. “Even

in close matches, these girls do not give up and they don’t stop

believing in one another.”

Olson said she has been impressed with the progress of her doubles

teams.

“All of our doubles teams are strong,” she said. “Each player has

gotten better. Each one has improved dramatically.”