High School Female Athletes of the Week: Shaya Northrup, Bella McKinney reunited for CdM
Three years ago, Bella McKinney and Shaya Northrup made a splash as freshmen for the Corona del Mar High girls’ tennis team.
McKinney and Northrup, as well as Roxy McKenzie, made up the three freshmen starting on varsity in 2015. That’s a big number for a prestigious program like CdM, and McKinney and Northrup soon slid into a starting role at No. 3 doubles.
They were perhaps inconsistent, but performed their best when it counted. They swept their three sets for the first time as the Sea Kings earned a CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoff quarterfinal win over San Clemente that year, advancing to the semifinals for the third straight year.
McKinney and Northrup had to worry about more than just the tennis. They also said they were aware that some of the senior reserves on that team were a bit jealous of the freshmen who earned the starting role.
“With some of the girls not agreeing with us being in the starting lineup, I think Bella and I have kept our heads up high,” Northrup said at the time.
Three years later, McKinney and Northrup are again regularly playing together for the first time since freshman year. Now they are the seniors at the No. 1 doubles spot for CdM (4-2).
McKinney and Northrup have a 13-1 record together this season. They swept in CdM’s loss at then-top ranked North Hollywood Campbell Hall on Sept. 6. The following match, they swept again as the Sea Kings, ranked No. 4 in Division 1, earned a 10-8 win over then-No. 5 Palos Verdes at CdM on Sept. 12.
The Sea Kings’ early-season schedule has been difficult. McKinney and Northrup suffered their first loss of the season Tuesday in a showdown against top-ranked rival University, falling 6-2 against Trojans sophomores Emily Markus and Mya Wang. But McKinney and Northrup rebounded to win their next two sets, though CdM suffered an 11-7 loss at the Racquet Club of Irvine.
“They’ve been rock solid on the year,” CdM coach Jamie Gresh said. “It’s been a steady progression. If I watched them play a match their freshman year and then watched them now, it’s like, wow, they’ve developed into the players I wanted them to become. I’ve always had high expectations for them, but I feel like they’ve fulfilled that pretty well and answered the bell in some of the bigger matches throughout the years.”
They couldn’t be sure they would team up again. In their sophomore year, McKinney played mostly with Emily Freyman, while Northrup was paired with Izzy Dajee. Last year, Northrup had success with senior transfer Paulina Loredo, as they teamed to win the Pacific Coast League doubles title and advanced to the CIF Southern Section Individuals doubles round of 16.
McKinney paired with MacKenzie for much of the season as a junior. The team had much success, going 26-0 and winning the Division 1 and CIF USTA Southern California Regional titles. McKinney and Freyman loomed large in the latter tournament victory, winning the decisive match at No. 3 doubles as CdM beat Arcadia 4-3 for the title at The Claremont Club.
CdM lost top players to graduation. Danielle Willson, the Individuals singles champion, went to USC. Annika Bassey went to Harvard, while Loredo now plays at the University of Rhode Island. Willson and fellow team captain Brooke Kenerson, who also graduated, were strong leaders last year.
I’ve always had high expectations for them, but I feel like they’ve fulfilled that pretty well and answered the bell in some of the bigger matches ...
— Jamie Gresh, Corona del Mar High coach
This year, the Sea Kings call on all six of their seniors — McKinney, Northrup, MacKenzie, Kristina Evloeva, Janie Marcus and Dylan Matesky — as team captains. McKinney and Northrup surely play a big role at No. 1 doubles.
McKinney said she has been dealing with a meniscus tear in her right knee this season, and it’s too small for surgery. She isn’t letting it stop her from enjoying her final year. She said she doesn’t feel pain during the matches, but is often very sore the following day.
“I’ve just been taking really close care of it so that I can play well in my matches,” she said. “It means a lot to me [to play at No. 1 doubles]. I’ve only played doubles my whole time at CdM. Last year, I was working super-hard, like, ‘I want to play No. 1 doubles.’ Obviously, I didn’t, and I’m totally fine with it. Our lineup was insane last year, but I’m super-happy now that I’ve kind of reached the top and it’s my last year. It’s pretty cool.”
Northrup typically provides ground strokes from the baseline, while McKinney is tough at the net. It’s a winning formula for the Sea Kings, who had MacKenzie move to singles this season, where she teams with Evloeva and Marcus to form a strong trio.
All three players have a Universal Tennis Rating of more than nine. Northrup, who said she aspired to play singles when she came into the program, fits in fine in the doubles lineup.
“As I continued to grow older, I realized that [singles] is actually a lot of pressure,” Northrup said. “Doubles is just way more fun, in my opinion. If I’m putting too much pressure on myself, I won’t excel, but I feel like having a partner out there with me kind of makes me not as stressed out.”
Less pressure, more fun. That’s what McKinney and Northrup want in their last season playing high school tennis. Now they can be leaders to the two freshmen on varsity, Jane Paulsen and Kristina Veskovic.
“I really enjoy being a senior,” McKinney said, before breaking into a grin. “Jamie doesn’t make any jokes anymore about me, Roxy and Shaya being the three freshmen.”
Shaya Northrup
Born: May 16, 2001
Hometown: Newport Beach
Height: 5 feet 5
Sport: Tennis
Year: Senior
Coach: Jamie Gresh
Favorite food: Sushi
Favorite movie: “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift”
Favorite athletic moment: Helping CdM win the CIF Southern Section Division 1 title last season.
Week in review: Northrup and partner Bella McKinney swept in doubles to help CdM earn a key 10-8 nonleague win over Palos Verdes on Sept. 12.
Bella McKinney
Born: Jan. 5, 2001
Hometown: Newport Beach
Height: 5 feet 4
Sport: Tennis
Year: Senior
Coach: Jamie Gresh
Favorite food: Pasta
Favorite movie: “Elf”
Favorite athletic moment: Winning the clinching doubles set with Emily Freyman last year in CdM’s CIF USTA Southern California Regional title match win over Arcadia.
Week in review: McKinney and partner Shaya Northrup swept in doubles to help CdM earn a key 10-8 nonleague win over Palos Verdes on Sept. 12.
Twitter: @mjszabo
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