Girls tennis: Mesa hopeful down the road

Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA - If you’re the Costa Mesa High girls tennis coach,

there’s no sin in looking forward to the future, even if it means next

year and not this season.

With the Mustangs in the talent-deep Pacific Coast League with Corona

del Mar, University and Laguna Beach, there appears to be a slim chance

of cracking the top three.

Then, add Northwood to the picture and Costa Mesa’s 2001 PCL hopes

become a little more dim.

“(The Timberwolves) beat us last year and they return everybody, so

it’ll be a tough road against Northwood, too,” Costa Mesa Coach Joe

Havens said. “But Estancia we beat last year, so I’m hopeful we will do

well against (the Eagles) this year.”

The improved Mustangs, who return four players from last year’s squad,

will move into a new league next year (the Golden West League) with the

likes of Ocean View, Tustin, Westminster and Santa Ana. They will also

have everyone back for the 2002 season, except one.

“We’re sort of looking forward to next year,” said Havens, whose 2001

team opened Monday against Tustin and will host Marina today and travel

Thursday to Huntington Beach.

“We have a handful of (preleague) matches and hopefully we’ll come out

with some good victories,” he added.

Heading the roster for Costa Mesa is junior Hilary Havens, the coach’s

daughter, who returns at No. 1 singles, while the Mustangs’ No. 1 doubles

team of senior Hang Nguyen and junior Minh-Thy Pham also returns from

last autumn.

Junior Chi Doan, who played No. 2 doubles, is also back from a year

ago.

“After those four, everybody’s new,” said Havens, who listed sophomore

Ashley Hamilton and junior Kim Nguyen among the top newcomers.

Junior Cheryl Hack, a cross country, track and soccer athlete who is

new to competitive high school tennis, will probably play No. 2 doubles

with Hamilton. Doan will probably play No. 2 singles, while Kim Nguyen

will play third singles.

Juniors Brenda Tran and Shannon Maddox, along with sophomore Thu Tran,

round out the Costa Mesa varsity team.

“We have a number of (players up from the junior varsity),” Havens

said. “We’re a young team with only one senior (Hang Nguyen). So, again,

we’ll probably be fighting for the No. 5 spot with Estancia in league.

“Given the league we’re in, we’re certainly in a rebuilding mode. With

Laguna Beach, Corona del Mar and University, that’s a very unique class

of tennis in our league. It’s as good as any high school in the state.

And, with Northwood getting so big, we’re playing schools twice as big as

ours. (The Timberwolves draw players) from a bigger tennis community.”

Costa Mesa roster

Hilary Havens, Jr.

Hang Nguyen, Sr.

Minh-Thy Pham, Jr.

Chi Doan, Jr.

Ashley Hamilton, So.

Kim Nguyen, Jr.

Cheryl Hack, Jr.

Brenda Tran, Jr.

Thu Tran, So.

Shannon Maddox, Jr.