Boys tennis: CdM shocks Peninsula

Richard Dunn

CORONA DEL MAR - For a nonleague high school boys tennis match, it

didn’t get any bigger than Wednesday’s Corona del Mar-Peninsula dual.

“Beating Peninsula is like winning CIF in all divisions,” said CdM

Coach Tim Mang, following his hosting team’s 10-8 victory over the

Panthers, who lost for the first time this season with their full squad,

albeit some players were a little banged up.

The Sea Kings (14-0), the top-ranked team in Orange County, had two of

their best players tough it out while reportedly suffering from

mononucleosis, junior Cameron Ball and sophomore Garrett Snyder.

On the courts, there was more grunting and yelling than usual, with

amplified emotions.

“This is Peninsula-Corona del Mar,” Mang said. “(The Panthers) are

going to bring whatever they have, and so are we. These are two great

teams. I think they had two key players hurt a little and our two key

players were hurting a little.”

Mang didn’t know that Ball, the defending Pacific Coast League singles

champion, was even going to play.

“This is the first time I’ve been out of the house in two days,” said

Ball, who played No. 1 doubles with Ryan Stockwell and swept, 6-1, 6-3,

6-2, as CdM won eight of nine doubles sets to clinch the win.

“I wasn’t supposed to play, but I showed up a half hour before the

match and said, ‘Put me (in the lineup) wherever you want.’ This gives us

final bragging rights for the year, basically.”

Corona del Mar lost to Peninsula, 7-2, in the championship match of

the second annual CdM National High School All-American Invitational on

March 17 at the Palisades Tennis Club. The Sea Kings also lost to the

Panthers last year in a nonleague match.

“Finally, a victory (over Peninsula),” Ball said. “We needed some

serious team spirit to do it.”

CdM is playing this season in CIF Southern Section Division V, and,

for the first time in several years, will not be in the same division as

Peninsula (Division I), because of the section’s new enrollment-based

playoff format.

“That’s why (this win) is great, because it’s the last time we’re

going to see them all year,” Mang said. “It’s fantastic, especially after

walking around without Cameron and not knowing if we were going to have

him or not. And Stockwell was also really stepping up, and our other two

doubles were great. We almost swept them in doubles, and they loaded up

in doubles, so it’s even better.”

Peninsula’s Jeff Kazarian, usually Coach Tom Cox’s No. 2 singles

player, played No. 1 doubles with Chris Delaney. But Kazarian is still

nursing elbow, back and leg problems. “He’s got it all going on,” Cox

said.

Peninsula (8-4), the defending CIF Division I and national champion,

had Kazarian and Teige Sullivan (cracked hand bone) in its lineup for the

first time in two weeks.

“We’re not at full strength,” Cox said. “We’re (all) here, but we have

two guys hurt ... but I’m glad to have (Kazarian and Sullivan) here. We

made a valiant effort.”

After a 3-3 tie in the first round, CdM pulled in front, 7-5, in the

second round, thanks to an upset victory by Snyder and senior Randy

Myers, playing No. 2 doubles, over Peninsula’s No. 1 team of

Kazarian-Delaney, 7-5.

In the decisive game of that set, Myers held serve for the win. CdM

was up 40-love, but Peninsula pushed it to deuce, adding to the suspense.

Then, with CdM enjoying the advantage, Snyder clinched it with a winning

volley.

In the third round, CdM’s No. 3 doubles team of Peter Kulmaticki and

Michael Bean, last year’s PCL doubles champions, also knocked off

Kazarian-Delaney, 7-5.

“Corona del Mar played tough,” Cox said. “Those two doubles sets we

lost 7-5 were crucial ones.”

The win for Kulmaticki and Bean gave CdM its ninth set, then Ball and

Stockwell sealed the match. Ball closed out the final set with

back-to-back service aces, one an off-speed spinner and one estimated at

125 mph.

CdM won two sets in singles, both by UC Irvine-bound senior Brian

Morton.

“This is sweet,” Mang said, “because (the Panthers) had their whole

lineup today. Their other losses came when they were missing some of

their top players.”

NONLEAGUE

Corona del Mar 10, Peninsula 8

Singles - Wadhwa (CdM) lost to Cohen, 2-6, lost to Guice, 5-7, lost to

Rizza, 0-6; Morton (CdM) won 6-0, 6-3, lost 3-6; Roberts (CdM) lost 3-6,

2-6, 1-6.

Doubles - Ball-Stockwell (CdM) def. Kazarian-Delaney, 6-1, def.

Sullivan-Matysek, 6-3, def. Franko-Elaporte, 6-2; Snyder-Myers (CdM) won

7-5, 6-3, 6-3; Kulmaticki-Bean (CdM) won 7-5, 6-2, lost 6-7 (3-7).