SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS : Opponents Face Triple Threat in Peninsula

When Palos Verdes, Miraleste and Rolling Hills high schools merged to form Peninsula High School this year, it left little doubt who would be at the top of the pecking order in Southern Section girls’ tennis.

From 1982 until last season, when Palos Verdes defeated Corona del Mar for the section’s Division 4-A title, Palos Verdes won three championships and Miraleste four. In fact, the schools took turns being the champion or the runner-up five consecutive seasons: Miraleste won in 1982, ’84 and ‘86; Palos Verdes in ’83 and ’85.

With the addition of another power, Rolling Hills, the new school figured to be untouchable. The Panthers have been that, all right. With a squad that includes several nationally ranked players, Peninsula easily won the Ocean League, and heads into the first round of the playoffs Thursday with a 20-0 record.

But does that mean their opponents won’t even bother to show up during the playoffs?

Capistrano Valley Coach Kerry Leander said his team will meet the challenge if either squad advances to the finals Nov. 26. The South Coast League champion and No. 3-seeded Cougars (16-1) are in the bottom bracket of the pairings and top-seeded Peninsula is in the upper bracket.

“I think we could make it competitive against Peninsula, but their doubles teams would have to lay down and die for us to win,” Leander said. “They pretty much could send out their second string and still make the finals.”

Peninsula defeated Capistrano Valley, 15-3, in a nonleague match Sept. 18. However, the Cougars played without their No. 1 singles player, Page Bartelt, who had undergone a tonsillectomy a few days before the match. Bartelt, 22-0 this season and 177-20 in her high school career, is back in full force but even with her, neither the Cougars nor any of the other teams seem to have a realistic chance of beating Peninsula.

The Panthers’ key players are No. 1 singles Nicole London, who was 28-0 this season, and No. 2 singles Janet Lee (12-0). Both made limited appearances because co-Coach Tom Cox said the school essentially has two varsity teams and he tried to give all the players as much playing time as possible.

Cox said Capistrano Valley and Santa Barbara (12-0) will be his team’s toughest opponents.

“I think it’s going to be a real screamer between Capistrano Valley and Santa Barbara, although I may lean a little bit toward Capo on that one,” Cox said.

Even if Capistrano Valley falls in the latter part of the playoffs against Santa Barbara, Leander said the Cougars would have accomplished some of the goals they set before the season.

“One goal was not only to win league, but to do so undefeated. Another was to do well in CIF (playoffs),” Leander said. “We also wanted to be out of Peninsula’s bracket.”

Capistrano Valley first must get by Sea View League runner-up Newport Harbor (9-8) in an opening-round match Thursday and later No. 2-seeded Santa Barbara, San Marino (14-2) or Beverly Hills (17-3), the other three teams that are the class of the lower bracket.

Peninsula’s toughest foe in the upper bracket should be No. 4-seeded Dana Hills (16-3), the South Coast League runner-up, which opens at home Thursday against South Pasadena (13-5). Dana Hills lost twice in league play to Capistrano Valley, both times, 11-7.

“We can’t look past Newport Harbor,” Leander said. “I’m also glad we don’t have to face Dana (Hills) because you know how tough it is to beat the same team three times.”

The Division 2-A playoffs could end up with Los Alamitos and Sunny Hills again playing for the title, but Griffin Coach Debbie Fleming hopes the results are different this time around.

Last season, Sunny Hills defeated top-seeded Los Alamitos, 12-6. This year, Los Alamitos (18-0) again is seeded first and playing in the upper bracket. The Lancers (18-1) are seeded third and playing in the lower bracket. No. 2 Rosary (13-3-1) and No. 4 Mater Dei (12-3) are the other two seeded teams. Fleming said she would like to meet Sunny Hills for the championship.

“We want them in the finals,” Fleming said. “Sunny Hills had a senior team last year. My kids were mostly 10th-graders. This year my kids know what it is to play under pressure. All year everyone has been shooting for us.”

The Griffins, who won the Empire League championship for the fourth consecutive year, will play host to Lynwood (8-6) in a first-round match Thursday. In the semifinals they could meet Angelus League runner-up Mater Dei. The one team that traditionally gives Los Alamitos trouble, Rosary, is in the lower bracket. The only time the two teams could meet would be in the finals.

“Rosary is the hardest team for us to beat,” Fleming said. “Last year we beat them, 10-8, (in a nonleague match) and this year we tied 9-9 in sets and 68-68 in games. We called the match because of darkness.”

Southern Section Playoffs: Girls’ Tennis

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS--Division 4-A: Palos Verdes. Division 3-A: Westlake Village Westlake. Division 2-A: Sunny Hills. Division 1-A: San Luis Obispo. Small Schools: Brentwood.

TOP TEAMS--Division 4-A: Capistrano Valley, Beverly Hills, Corona del Mar, Dana Hills, Peninsula, San Marino, Santa Barbara. Division 3-A: Alhambra, Camarillo, Diamond Bar, Foothill, Laguna Beach, Westlake Harvard, Westlake Village Westlake. Division 2-A: Los Alamitos, Chaminade, El Dorado, Katella, Mater Dei, Rosary, Santa Margarita, Sunny Hills. Division 1-A: Cate, Chadwick, Pasadena Poly, Quartz Hill, San Luis Obispo, Valencia. Small Schools: Bonita, Brentwood, Gladstone, La Mirada, Rim of the World, San Jacinto, Whitney.

DARK HORSES: Division 4-A: South Pasadena. Division 3-A: Estancia. Division 2-A: Upland. Division 1-A: Righetti. Small Schools: Yucaipa.

KEY PLAYERS: Division 4-A: Marcie Asch (Corona del Mar), Page Bartelt (Capistrano Valley), Amber Basica (Peninsula), Michelle Berkowitz (Fountain Valley), Mara Colaizzi (Newport Harbor), Nicole Elliott (Dana Hills), Nicole Humel (San Marino), Janet Lee (Peninsula), Alison Light (Capistrano Valley), Nicole London (Peninsula), Amelia White (Santa Barbara), Anna Zaricki (Dana Hills). Division 3-A: Andrea Claus (Foothill), Winson Falcone (Laguna Beach), Brandi Freudenberg (El Modena), Sue Hsu (Diamond Bar), Joanna Mazur (Westlake Village Westlake), Jane Park (Foothill), Amanda Parson (Foothill). Division 2-A: Erika Asmuss (Mater Dei), Joyce Cruz (Rosary), Karen Galvin (Sunny Hills), Mandy Gomez (Rosary), Susan Huberman (Los Alamitos), Sandy Needham (Santa Margarita), Valerie Palmero (Los Alamitos), Debbie Vonusa (Katella). Division 1-A: Rachel Buenviaje (Brea-Olinda), Grace Fu (Pacifica), Kathy Kuragami (Savanna), Cecily Vix (San Luis Obispo), Renee Williams (Valencia). Small Schools: Jenny Fujiwara (Rim of the World), Kelley Cutler (Rim of the World), Michelle Jackson (Rim of the World), Vicky Rodriguez (La Mirada), Lenna Tsutsumi (La Mirada), Lori Wright (Orange Lutheran).

NOTEWORTHY: The 2-A finals could be a rematch for Los Alamitos and Sunny Hills, which won the title last year, 12-6.