Laguna Beach girls' tennis upsets top-seeded CdM in CIF Division 1 playoffs

Laguna Beach's Jessica MacCallum competes against Corona del Mar in a CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoff opener.

By Andrew TurnerStaff Writer

Nov. 6, 2021 5:38 PM PT

Sarah MacCallum, a standout senior on the Laguna Beach High School girls’ tennis team, indicated that she might prefer to fly under the radar in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.

That luxury may no longer be afforded to MacCallum and the Breakers, albeit due to a result that they will certainly accept.

Laguna Beach swept in singles en route to an 11-7 victory at top-seeded Corona del Mar on Friday in the second round.

“I would prefer to be unseeded in this tournament than seeded, and I’m sure a lot of people would say the same thing because we just kind of felt no pressure,” MacCallum said. “We really wanted to win, and that’s what we knew, and we just did it.

“I’m really proud of our doubles, too, because last time, they got knocked out like every match, so it’s very cool that they were able to come through in a couple of matches there.”

Laguna Beach's Sarah MacCallum returns a volley against Corona del Mar.

Sisters Jessica and Sarah MacCallum and Katelyn Smith dropped a combined nine games in a dominant performance for the Breakers in singles.

Laguna Beach (11-4), the Wave League champion, will be at home against Claremont (14-2), winner of the Palomares League, in the quarterfinals on Monday at 2 p.m.

The Breakers flipped the script from their regular season meeting with CdM (14-7), when the Surf League champion Sea Kings dealt Laguna Beach an 11-7 loss in a Sunset Conference crossover match on Sept. 28.

What enabled it was a couple of sets won by the Breakers’ top doubles pairing of Ainsley and Kendyl Beresford. The sister act claimed their first set of the match, allowing Laguna Beach to settle into the contest with a 4-2 lead after the first rotation of play.

Laguna Beach's Katelyn Smith plays at the net against Corona del Mar.

“We had to execute in singles, and then we were hoping for some breakthrough doubles [wins], and we got them from Ainsley and Kendyl,” Laguna Beach coach Rick Conkey said. “They stepped up and played amazing tennis.”

The doubles team of Cate Montgomery and Lena Pham did not drop a game across their three sets played for CdM.

Sophia Andrei-Birca and Lauren Jones won twice as a duo for the Sea Kings. The pairing of Sydnee Spirlin and Sara Miller won once.

“Laguna Beach played too well today,” CdM coach Jamie Gresh said via text after the match. “Their singles lineup is extremely strong, and their No. 1 doubles played very well. I wish Laguna Beach the best of luck in the next round and they’re a very dangerous team.

“The CdM girls had a great season and faced a tough Laguna Beach team today. I’m proud of the CdM girls’ level of play and how they competed all season.”