Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week: Natalie Braverman

Steve Virgen

There was something missing in Natalie Braverman’s high school

memories. The Newport Harbor High senior, after a year of playing in

United States Tennis Association satellite tournaments, wanted to come

back to the team atmosphere of Sailors’ tennis.

Years from now, when Braverman, who played on the Newport girls tennis

team her freshman and sophomore years, looks at her senior yearbook, she

can do so with utmost satisfaction.

Braverman strengthened friendships and overtook regret when she

rejoined the Sailors this season, and opponents have suffered the

consequences. She has compiled a 20-2 overall and a 13-1 Sea View League

singles record. She avenged her only league loss to Woodbridge’s

Elizabeth Exon Thursday, when Braverman blew past the Warriors’ standout,

6-2, 6-1, to reclaim the league singles title she had won as a sophomore.

Braverman also scored three wins in singles play in a near-upset of

Back Bay rival Corona del Mar Oct. 24. And a day before that, she notched

two singles victories to help the Sailors defeat Woodbridge, 4-2, in a

tie-breaker series after a 9-9 tie in sets and a 68-68 tie in games. The

win helped the Tars earn the Sea View League title.

“It’s nice to get back in the team mode,” said the Daily Pilot Athlete

of the Week. “Tennis is such an individual sport. It’s comforting to get

in a team setting, just being back on the team, hanging around with the

girls and the camaraderie.”

Braverman said narrowing her recruiting choices to Pepperdine, USC,

UCLA or Arizona has helped her relax. She said her final decision will be

made in the coming weeks.

Braverman’s contentment has also transferred onto the tennis courts,

where she uses a variety of shots, mostly powerful ground strokes, to

gain control over her opponents.

“She moves the ball around really well,” Newport Coach Fletcher Olson

said. “She sets up her points and hits the ball very hard. She controls

the points, basically. We’re glad to have her on the team. She’s a great

leader and she brings more than just her game to the team. She brings a

lot of spirit to the team as well.”

Braverman’s spirit is the cornerstone of her game. Her strategy might

be about setting up her opponent, but it’s her tenacity that puts her

over the top.

“I just want to go for my shots, I mean go for it, and not let up,”

Braverman said. “In high school, you can’t take a few games to get warmed

up. You have to just go for it, but also be patient.”

Braverman admitted it took her a few matches to reacquaint herself to

the one-set high school format. But to get familiar with her Back Bay

rivals, the Sea Kings, it was like riding a bike. She dropped just two of

the 20 games she played against CdM.

“(The Back Bay rivalry) is just always there,” Braverman said. “It

never goes away. It’s always in the back of your mind.’

With the Sailors claiming the Sea View League title and Braverman

winning the league singles championship, the Newport Harbor senior is now

focused on attaining a CIF Southern Section singles crown. She lost in

the CIF singles quarterfinals as a sophomore, but she’s intent on ending

her prep career with the CIF title.

“That’s one of the reasons I came back,” said Braverman, who noted she

rejoined the Sailors, mainly, to get the most out of high school. “I want

to win the CIF singles title.”