Harvard-Westlake Already Is Making Quite a Racket

With several accomplished musicians and singers on its team, Harvard-Westlake High is trying for perfect harmony on the court..

The Wolverines, playoff semifinalists a year ago and ranked No. 2 in the Southern Section Division III coaches’ poll, are 10-2, 6-0 in Mission League play.

Harvard-Westlake boasts three top-50 juniors in Southern California in Stephanie Berg, Jessica Leck and Alexandra Maclennan.

Berg (10-2), a junior and the No. 1 player, has played sparingly but is ranked No. 14 in the girls’ 16 division in Southern California by the U.S. Tennis Assn. She will be a key in the playoffs.

Leck (21-3), a sophomore and usually the No. 2 player, has a No. 45 ranking in the same age group. Maclennan (11-4), a sophomore transfer from Marlborough who has played No. 3 singles, is ranked No. 40 in Southern California.

“My top three singles are pretty strong, but I think our doubles is going to be the key,” said first-year Coach Kelly Edwards, a Cal State Northridge senior who played for the Matador women’s tennis team from 1996-98. “They have to be pushed to another level, and they’re not there yet.”

Freshman Shilpa Madhavan, who usually plays No. 2 or No. 3 doubles, along with the piano, violin and viola, is aware of the need to improve.

“I think we have tremendous potential,” Madhavan said. “We’ve played great, but we can play much better. We just need time, and we need to play more matches.”

Madhavan is not the team’s only musician.

Krisena Fell, a senior who plays No. 2 or 3 doubles, is an accomplished pianist and vocalist. She was one of 2,300 participants nationwide last summer at the Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan for young performing artists.

“I’m a much better musician than a tennis player,” Fell says. “But I’m glad I can do both.”

So can senior Lisa Feigenbaum, a classical pianist, senior Chelsea Heller, a classical guitarist, and freshman Zelda Harris, who plays the baritone saxophone. Maclennan, who has taken voice lessons the past four years, can carry the tunes.

The Wolverines have hit high notes on the tennis court too. They have nonleague victories over Marmonte League members Thousand Oaks and Westlake, and a pair of ranked Division V teams, Marlborough and Marymount.

The Wolverines have picked up two Mission League victories over Louisville while playing without Berg, Leck or Maclennan. The team’s losses have been to Peninsula, the top-ranked team in Division I, and to San Marino, the No. 1-ranked team in Division IV.

“I don’t feel like we’re exactly ready for CIF right now,” Heller said. “But by the end of the season, I think we will be.”

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In the loss to San Marino, Harvard-Westlake got a look at Luana Magnani, a Titan junior ranked No. 5 in the nation in the girls’ 16 division by the U.S. Tennis Assn. She is the No. 1-ranked player in the age group in Southern California.

“There’s something significant there,” Edwards said of Magnani, who won her sets, 6-2, 6-0, 6-0, while battling illness.

There wasn’t much separating the Wolverines from San Marino, as the teams tied, 9-9, but the Titans won on games, 80-66.

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A mix of experienced players and top-flight newcomers has helped keep business as usual at Granada Hills.

The Highlanders were City Championship runners-up last season and lost in the playoff semifinals the previous four seasons.

Granada Hills is 10-0, including a 7-0 mark in the West Valley League, and has a 504-53 advantage in games against City opponents.

The Highlanders also won the eight-team Valencia tournament and hold a league winning streak of 50 matches in a row.