PREP WEDNESDAY: FALL ALL-COUNTY TEAMS : Freudenberg’s Skills Help El Modena Finish on Top--Finally

ORANGE —  Since El Modena High opened in 1966, no Vanguard tennis team had won a league title . . . until this season.

That’s because none of those previous teams had a player with Brandi Freudenberg’s skills.

This season, however, the Vanguards had Freudenberg. And, thanks largely to her, they finally overcame years of frustration.

Freudenberg, a sophomore and one of the top junior players in the country, led El Modena to the Century League championship and Southern Section Division II team quarterfinals.

She also advanced to the individual quarterfinals, where she lost to Palos Verdes Peninsula’s Amanda Basica, 6-4, 6-2. They were two of the three sets she dropped in 49 outings this season.

“She’s the strongest player we’ve had on the girls’ team,” said Art Green, who has coached the Vanguards for 17 seasons.

Although Freudenberg said she wanted to at least reach the individual semifinals--which she did as a freshman--Freudenberg said the team league championship considerably soothed that disappointment.

“We were so excited to be part of history,” said Freudenberg, 15, The Times Orange County player of the year. “Being part of a team is one of the things that’s kind of special (for me). I don’t get to do that playing in tournaments all the time.”

Freudenberg, who was voted the league’s most valuable player, is already a veteran of junior tennis. She ranks second behind Basica in Southern California in the 16-and-under division and is among the top 10 nationally.

Starting Sunday, Freudenberg will add another tournament to her credentials when she plays in the Orange Bowl Tennis Championships, one of the most prestigious international junior events. The single-elimination tournament continues through Dec. 27, so Freudenberg’s stay in Miami depends on how she does in the singles competition and in doubles with partner Vanessa Rooks of San Diego.

“If you do well in this tournament, you’re kind of set,” Freudenberg said. “People pick you up for sponsorships. Boris Becker and John McEnroe and Jennifer Capriati all played there.”

Because their families won’t make the trip, the girls will be away from home during the holidays if they advance through the week.

“I might spend Christmas in a hotel with my doubles partner,” Freudenberg said.

Although better known and more successful as a singles player, Freudenberg said she tries to play doubles whenever possible.

“I like the feeling of working together as a team,” she said. “That’s the one drawback of playing high school tennis. I have to concentrate on singles.”

Freudenberg started doing that seriously about eight years ago. Her father, Jerry, a former football coach at old Excelsior High in Norwalk, had built a tennis court on the family’s property in Orange years before and the two put it to good use. But it didn’t take long until dad was overmatched.

“He kind of gave up (playing her) after I started beating him,” Freudenberg said.

Now, her father and mother, Donna, who own and operate a preschool in Riverside, are happy to leave the serious playing on the home court to Brandi and her sister, Holli, 13. They can’t compete with their daughters, so they stick to being spectators. The two attend El Modena’s matches, and next season might have to divide their attention between Brandi and Holli, who will be a freshman at the school and possibly one of the singles players on the team.

“She’s (Holli) got a power game,” Freudenberg said. “She hits the ball harder than me sometimes.”

With the sisters leading the way, that could mean more happy days ahead for El Modena.

All-County Girls’ Tennis FIRST-TEAM SINGLES Player: Erika Asmuss School: Mater Dei Yr.: Sr. Comment: Won South Coast League singles title Player: Brandi Freudenberg School: El Modena Yr.: So. Comment: Led El Modena to first league championship Player: Anna Zaricki School: Dana Hills Yr.: Sr. Comment: Reached Southern Section individual quarterfinals FIRST-TEAM DOUBLES Player: Jennie Canfield School: Capistrano Valley Yr.: Sr. Comment: Had a 36-3 record on the season Player: Tia West School: Capistrano Valley Yr.: Jr. Comment: Had a 36-3 record on the season Player: Veronica Selby School: Los Alamitos Yr.: Jr. Comment: Helped Griffins to section Division III finals Player: Erin White School: Los Alamitos Yr.: Fr. Comment: Helped Griffins to section Division III finals Player: Ashley Smith School: Laguna Beach Yr.: Jr. Comment: Won Pacific Coast League doubles title Player: Tara Kuhnert School: Laguna Beach Yr.: Jr. Comment: Won Pacific Coast League doubles title SECOND-TEAM SINGLES Player: Michelle Bray School: Laguna Beach Yr.: Fr. Comment: Was a key player in Artists’ section Division II title Player: Sarah Hawkins School: Newport Harbor Yr.: So. Comment: Won Sea View League singles crown Player: Susan Huberman School: Los Alamitos Yr.: Sr. Comment: Ends prep career with more than 190 victories SECOND-TEAM DOUBLES Player: Cheri Ota School: Mater Dei Yr.: Jr. Comment: The Monarchs’ bright spots, along with Asmuss Player: Trisha Abe School: Mater Dei Yr.: Sr. Comment: The Monarchs’ bright spots, along with Asmuss Player: Lauren Weaver School: Estancia Yr.: Sr. Comment: Finished season with 67-5 record Player: Kristina Grigaitis School: Estancia Yr.: Sr. Comment: Finished season with 67-5 record Player: Amy Winn School: Sunny Hills Yr.: Sr. Comment: Made it to section round of 16 in doubles Player: Janet Ahn School: Sunny Hills Yr.: Sr. Comment: Made it to section round of 16 in doubles Honorable mention: Kathy Aagaard (Sonora), Marcie Asch (Corona del Mar), Nina Basica (Fountain Valley), Barbie Bayless (Sunny Hills), Rachel Buenviaje (Brea-Olinda), Jenny Chang (Capistrano Valley), Andrea Claus (Foothill), Mara Colaizzi (Newport Harbor), Joyce Cruz (Rosary), Karen Galvin (Sunny Hills), Mandy Gomez (Rosary), Amanda Hastings-Phillips (Laguna Beach), Nora Kapche (Fountain Valley), Sandy Needham (Santa Margarita), Dana Rudolph (Sunny Hills), Alessandra Schinaia (Irvine), Lynne Thiel (Edison), Ashley Thurston (Villa Park), Michelle Turner (Edison), Lindsay Weiss (Laguna Beach).