Athlete of the Week: Corona del Mar’s Anne Yelsey

Richard Dunn

You’re nestled comfortably atop the No. 1 singles position for the

top-ranked girls tennis team in Orange County, CIF Southern Section

Division IV and probably most of the free world’s small public schools.

Then comes along another great player. Nice as the new teammate and

challenger may be, it isn’t the sort of disruption one’s seeking on a

path to the Pacific Coast League singles title and berth in the CIF

individual championships.

But that’s what sophomore sensation Anne Yelsey of Corona del Mar High

was facing in newcomer Brittany Reitz, a junior who didn’t become

eligible until Oct. 16.

When Corona del Mar played formidable opponents like Dana Hills, some

took notice of Reitz’s winning scores versus Yelsey’s. They’d both sweep

their three sets, but Reitz was putting up goose eggs.

It was no wonder the new teammates squared off last week in the PCL

singles championship match at Costa Mesa Tennis Center, producing

must-see tennis theater with the traditional exchange of barbs on close

line calls, but mostly because of great play and pulsating extra points.

In the second set, and the beginning of Yelsey’s remarkable comeback,

the fifth game featured 13 deuces. That means it was ad-in and ad-out a

lot. Kind of like volleyball’s sideout.

Yelsey, up a break at 3-1, won the marathon game and more momentum as

she beat Reitz in the second set, 6-1, after dropping the opener, 3-6.

“When it got into a few deuces, I thought ‘OK, this is a big game. You

have to win it,’ and I took a little pace off the ball and put more spin

on it and tried to move it around,” said Yelsey, whose ability to make

adjustments on the court during a match is one of her strengths.

The Phil Dent-coached Yelsey, who closed out the title match at love,

remained at No. 1 singles for Coach Andy Stewart’s Sea Kings when Reitz

arrived. But it was clear another highly regarded foe was in town, and

PCL coaches from Laguna Beach and University reportedly lobbied for Reitz

to be seeded first in the league finals, and, thus, overturning Yelsey’s

prior appointment as the No. 1 seed.

“To me, when that happened I felt like I had to go out and prove that

I was the best one,” said Yelsey, the Daily Pilot’s Athlete of the Week.

“When people get me upset, I can play even better. I want to win that

much more.”

Consider yourself warned for next time.

“You can never count (Yelsey) out,” Stewart said. “Last year, she was

down to Susanna Lingman (of Woodbridge), 5-2, and came back and won. And

she did that against Reitz and I’ve seen her do that in her (United

States Tennis Association) matches. Even when she’s down, she fights just

as hard.”

Speaking of the USTA, Yelsey last year was ranked No. 7 in the nation

in the girls 14s, and is 25th in the nation this year in the 16s.

Yelsey, who plays doubles on the USTA circuit with Reitz, lost in the

PCL title match last year to Laguna Beach’s Ashley Maddocks, 7-6 (7-5),

6-2, and didn’t want a repeat.

“When you get that close, you just want to finish it off. You want to

win the tournament,” Yelsey said. “You don’t want to get second place.”

Reitz, a powerful baseline player, was home schooled as a freshman and

last year attended Mater Dei and St. Margaret’s. But when she started

winning sets at love against tough players, people took notice and

penciled her in as the PCL champion.

“A new girl comes in and starts winning with a little better scores,

and yet Anne’s still winning, but it’s kind of like you guys were writing

Anne off,” Stewart said. “Nothing against Reitz, but I knew it would be a

good match.”

Yelsey, ranked 25th in the nation this year in the girls 16s, dreams

of turning pro before college, but wouldn’t mind settling at a Stanford

or UCLA.

“(The pro tour) is kind of what I’m working for,” she said. “That’s

always been my goal. That’s kind of what I’m thinking about now.”

Wherever Yelsey lands on the tennis court, it’s likely her tenacity

and savvy will keep her in every match.

“She really wants to win,” said Stewart, who also coached her last

year at CdM. “She’ll get mad, but she’ll realize things and make

adjustments, and she’s always fighting and so competitive every time.

She’ll give everything she’s got. I never have to worry about her not

trying. That’s never a factor, because she always goes 100%. If she loses

the first set, she never gets down. She always comes back.

“Even if she was down 0-5, I wouldn’t count her out.”

Yelsey will open play in the CIF individual championships next

Saturday.