Crescenta Valley tennis eyes history, title
There’s been plenty of recognition throughout the historic postseason run turned in by the Crescenta Valley High girls’ tennis team.
School administrators, faculty and students have acknowledged the Falcons, leaving Crescenta Valley coach San Hyun appreciative of their thoughts.
Hyun would like to pay the throng back by guiding Crescenta Valley to the team’s first CIF Southern Section championship.
Top-seeded Crescenta Valley (15-3) will get that chance when it meets second-seeded Redlands (26-0) in the CIF Southern Section Division III championship at 11 a.m. Friday at the Claremont Club.
“The players and I are very appreciative of all the support we’ve been getting,” said Hyun, whose team qualified for the program’s first title match after a 12-6 semifinal win at Brentwood on Wednesday. “The messages are great and we want to win it for them and us.
“We’ve got one step left to go and it will be a real challenge playing Redlands. We’re happy to be playing for a championship.”
Crescenta Valley won three tiebreakers in doubles to best Brentwood in its first semifinal appearance since 2003.
It got sweeps in doubles from Rachel Shin and Michelle Jung, the reigning All-Area Girls’ Doubles Team of the Year, and Camille Gibney and Kiran Hamkins.
“It’s been so amazing,” Shin said. “We got to the quarterfinals last year and just missed moving on.
“You realize your potential that much more and you become motivated to try to get to that next level.”
The Falcons, who took second in the Pacific League behind Arcadia, posted earlier playoff victories against Marymount, Atascadero and Pasadena Poly.
Crescenta Valley No. 1 singles player Melissa Rosa Muradoglu, a sophomore who won two sets against Brentwood, said the Falcons have gelled.
“We’re in great shape and we are super excited,” Muadoglu said. “We want to make this our best year and our performances are going up. It’s like a peak year.”
Redlands, which won the Citrus Belt League championship and is coached by Sean Comadena, earned a 14-4 semifinal win at Chadwick on Wednesday. The Terriers also picked up playoff wins versus Corona Centennial, Oxford Academy and Claremont.
The Terriers are led by Kendall Bolock, who won the league’s singles title for the second season in a row, and Allison Castro. Redlands boasts doubles team of Emily Castro and Martina Daniels and Harkiran Saluja and Layla Jimenez. Saluja and Jimenez won the league’s doubles crown.
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
