Torrey Pines KO’d by Beverly Hills

NEWPORT BEACH - Everything was going along like clockwork Friday at

the Corona del Mar/Pavilions National High School Tennis All-American

Girls Invitatioanl Team Tournament at five sites, favorites were winning,

hopefuls were losing ... until second-seeded Torrey Pines ran into a

couple of ninth-graders from Beverly Hills.

In a shocker, the Normans of Beverly Hills Coadch Susan Stevens

unloaded on the Torrey Pines Falcons, with four singles players netting

victories en route to a 5-1 lead, eventually closing it out at .....

The keys? Freshmen Irish Ichim and Riza Zalameda, who both eased to

victory in singles, then paired to put Torrey Pines away in No. 1

doubles.

“It wasn’t just the two of them,” noted Stevens, who has guided her

Normans for 27 years. Also coming up with singles victories were Kate

Jolson, a junior, and sophomore Irina Sheff. Even the two losing singles

pushed hard, Jessica Gordon falling in a 5-7 tie-breaker, and Ashley

Gleitman with a sterling effort.

The victory sends Beverly Hills into today’s semifinal against host

Corona del Mar in an 11 a.m. duel at Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club. Also

at the same time and site is the other semifinal with No. 1-seeded

Penisula going up against No. 4 seed Menlo of Atherton.

The championship will be decided at 6 p.m., following the third-place

final at 4.

While Beverly Hills was the eye-opener, the rest of the favorites

rolled in convincing fashion.

Top-seeded Peninsula kept its unbeaten record intact with an 8-1

victory in the second round over Foothill, following a 9-0 rout of

Edison.

Corona del Mar was a 9-0 winner over Granite Bay, then the Sea Kings

put Troy away, 7-2, with Anne Yelsey, Kim Singer, Leslie Damion and

Brittney Holland all sweeping to victories in singles, and teaming up for

two doubles verdicts.

The Sea Kings will go up against the two freshmen from Beverly Hills

at Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club today at 11 a.m.

Menlo’s two victories put the Knights up against Peninsula in the

other semifinal.

Newport Harbor bounced back from a 9-0 drubbing at the hands of Torrey

Pines in the opener to apply a 9-0 whitewash of Clovis in the consolation

bracket.

Megan Hawkins did her foe in by a 6-0 count, and the rest, Kelly

Nelson, Vanessa Dunlap, Krista McIntosh, Carmen Khoury and Bonnie Adams

all won by decisive marks.

The Sailors tangle with Monta Vista in the consolation semifinals

today at 2 at Palisades.