Girls’ Tennis: Uni still on top after win over CdM
IRVINE — With light quickly fading on the tennis courts at University High, members of the girls’ tennis team gathered on the No. 1 doubles court to take pictures with Tuesday’s match scoreboard.
At University, much is made of the boys’ tennis team, which has won five straight CIF Southern Section Division 1 titles and 115 straight dual matches.
The girls are pretty good too.
The Trojans won their 50th straight Pacific Coast League match and clinched a share of their fifth straight league title after beating Corona del Mar, 13-5, on Tuesday.
“You can say that in other leagues, and it’s like, ‘OK,’” University Coach John Kessler said. “But with CdM, who’s been historically dominant, and even Woodbridge and Northwood, who are very good teams? To do that in this league, that’s saying a lot. That’s a gigantic accomplishment by these girls, that gets lost in translation.”
Kessler knows his girls get overshadowed boy his boys’ teams sometimes. Still, nobody has been able to defeat the Uni girls in league since CdM earned a 10-8 victory on Oct. 28, 2009, when standouts Melissa Matsuoka and Hailey Hogan were seniors.
Tuesday’s match had similarities to the first time the rivals played in league this year. The match score was the same, and again the Trojans swept in singles.
Kessler moved senior Celine Gruaz to doubles as she was nursing an arm injury. Still, Judy Kam, Yuki Asami and Alyssa Rudin all swept in singles for University (14-1, 8-0 in league), ranked No. 2 in CIF Southern Section Division 1.
Freshman Danielle Willson came the closest to getting a singles win for No. 6-ranked CdM (13-5, 6-2). But she was edged by Rudin, 7-6 (7-4), in her final set of the day.
“I’m really honored to be a part of this team, and to lead us to our 50th [straight] win,” said Asami, a senior. “We’re all a great team, and it feels great to be able to carry the team to such an accomplishment. It’s always the guys [at Uni] who have all the spotlight, so I think this 50th win really clinched our own rewarding experience.”
Also, in similar fashion to the first match, University led 5-1 after the first round. The Sea Kings had chances to get closer, but the Trojans won two close doubles sets in that opening round. Kayti Luu and Gruaz edged CdM’s Taylor Fogarty and Camellia Edalat, 7-6 (7-2), at No. 2 doubles. And Ashlyn Wong and Tiffany Madlambayan topped CdM’s Shelby Anderson and Paige Kenerson, 7-5, at No. 3 doubles.
CdM Coach Brian Ricker said he thought Fogarty played the best set of her high school career, even in the loss. Fogarty, who was named CdM’s homecoming queen Friday night, has always been a force at the net, but she has rapidly improved her ground strokes. Still, University wasn’t giving anything away.
Kessler knew the match was closer than the score indicated, calling it a “razor-thin” 13-5 victory. Still, his Trojans won four of the six sets that were 6-4 or closer.
“They’re a strong team,” CdM Coach Brian Ricker said. “They’re so well-balanced, because they have strong singles and they have doubles that really compete well and don’t give up. There’s really no easy spot to get three points against them. Every point we get, we really have to fight for, and in these two matches they’ve just done a better job winning the close ones.”
CdM’s Riley Gerdau and Siena Sharf did sweep in impressive fashion, 6-0, 6-0, 6-2. Ricker said their second win, a 6-0 “bagel” against Luu and Gruaz, was the best set he’s seen them play all year.
Gerdau and Sharf are now 49-4 as a doubles team this season.
“We’ve been working on them getting a little closer to the net, so they can be a little more offensive,” Ricker said. “They’re doing a great job of that.”
The doubles teams of Fogarty and Edalat, as well as Anderson and Erica Chen, both won one set each for the Sea Kings.
CdM plays host to Beckman on Thursday and concludes league play with an important match against Northwood on Monday. The Sea Kings edged the Timberwolves, 10-8, in the teams’ first league meeting.
