CdM falls out of CIF playoffs

Joseph Boo

CORONA DEL MAR - When the CIF Southern Section Division I girls

tennis playoffs brackets were announced, Corona del Mar High’s Coach Andy

Stewart knew what lay ahead.

“We can match up with anybody,” he said. “Peninsula and Newport Harbor

though, are definitely the teams to beat. We have to play very well to

beat them.”

Well, CdM ended up hosting defending CIF champion Peninsula in the

semifinals, and the Panthers lived up to their billing, winning, 13-5, on

Thursday.

Peninsula will now face Newport Harbor in the finals at the Claremont

Club on Monday. It was the second time the Panthers (24-0) defeated CdM

this year by a score of 13-5.

For the Sea Kings (16-6), the one big bright spot was the play of Anne

Yelsey, who easily won her three sets, 6-1, 6-0, 6-4.

“Anne did a good job,” Stewart said. “I thought she really played well

against Colby (Comstock, Peninsula’s No. 1 singles player). She was

patient, but came to the net a lot of times. She attacked, attacked and

attacked.”

If there is a relative weakness in Peninsula, it is the fact that the

Panthers’ singles players aren’t as strong as the doubles. Besides

Yelsey’s sweep, CdM’s Nadia Vaughan won two sets after dropping the first

one to Comstock.

But Peninsula’s heralded doubles team swept all nine sets to clinch the

match.

“Their doubles team is a joke,” Stewart said. “They really do everything

right.”

“They’re all the same, from No. 1 to No. 3. Usually, we can exploit the

opponent’s No. 3 team. But there is no weakness in Peninsula.”

If there is a moral victory to be had, CdM won a lot more games in

doubles than the last time it played Peninsula. The Sea Kings even had a

chance to steal a couple of doubles sets in the final round of sets.

The No. 3 team of Laura Claster and Katie Tenerelli had an early, 2-1,

lead on No. 1 team Nikki LaBrucherie and Christine Setian before falling,

3-6. And No. 1 Leslie Damion and Kristen Griffith were in a close match

with No. 2 Christie Tjang and Caitlin Blashaw before losing, 4-6.

“I thought the girls fought hard,” Stewart said. “We won some games

against them in doubles. Last time, the closest score was like 6-1. So we

showed some signs of improvements.”

These signs were the most positive things CdM had against a powerful

Peninsula team. Still, Stewart feels this season has been a success, and

a nice way to build on the future.

“We did great,” he said. “I’m really happy we made the semis.”

CIF DIVISION I PLAYOFFS

Peninsula 13, Corona del Mar 5

Singles: Vaughan (CdM) lost to Comstock, 0-6; def. Liang, 6-1; def.

Joshi, 6-4; Yelsey (CdM) won, 6-1, 6-0, 6-4; Minna (CdM), lost, 1-6, 3-6,

0-6.

Doubles: Damion-Griffith (CdM) lost to LaBrucherie-Setian, 2-6; lost to

Tjang-Blashaw, 4-6; lost to Ursich-Pagliano, 3-6; Jacobson-Charney (CdM)

lost, 0-6, 1-6, 0-6; Claster-Tenerelli (CdM) lost, 3-6, 2-6, 0-6.