Up and coming

Bryce Alderton

With each passing forehand and overhand volley, the Sage Hill

girls tennis team takes a step toward the top.

And as the Lightning enters its third year of competition in

Division V, even though it finished 3-8 last season, hope abounds on

the campus situated just off the Corona del Mar Freeway on a hill in

Newport Coast.

Coach A.G. Longoria returns three established doubles teams and

two singles starters to a roster that will also feature three

freshman who start the preseason depth chart as the top three singles

players in Katie McKitterick, Kellie Ammerman and Paige Fullmer, to

go along with returning junior Laura Webb and sophomore newcomer

Jennifer Tomlinson.

“We had summer camp and have some outstanding players coming in

that should make us a lot stronger than last year that, if we don’t

win (league) we can certainly be an influence on who does,” Longoria

said.

Juniors Jessica Tsoong and Danielle Berman had a winning record at

No. 1 doubles last year and will start the season as the No. 1

doubles team. Tomlinson and junior Katrina Rebelsheimer begin the

year at No. 2 doubles and juniors Ellie White and Meredith Hultman

anchor the No. 3 doubles duo.

The No. 3 doubles team of juniors Annie Levin and Rebelsheimer was

a surprise last year according to Longoria, as Levin worked her way

onto varsity as the duo garnered second-team All-Academy League

honors.

Levin and Lindsay Smith will see playing time in doubles,

according to Longoria.

Returning junior varsity players that should have an impact on

varsity include sophomores Alexa Shitaniski and Sapna Lohiya and

junior Shelby McKenna, who played most of last season at singles.

More reason for Longoria to be optimistic about the upcoming

season is the addition of Katie Hawkins as an assistant to the girls

tennis team. Hawkins will teach Spanish at Sage Hill and is a CdM

High tennis standout and recent graduate of the University of

Arizona.

“She has played (tennis) and is someone the girls can look up to,”

Longoria said. “It’s nice to have a woman on the coaching staff who

can relate to the girls, who can look up to her as a teacher and a

leader.”

Even though Longoria thinks he has a strong team this season, he

also looks further ahead.

“We’re still a year away,” Longoria said. “But I’m pleased with

what we’ve had and the progress we’ve made.”

It also helps that Sage Hill sits in a hotbed of budding tennis

players, Longoria said.

“There have been great players out of our area, such as the impact

of Lindsay Davenport,” Longoria said. “A lot of our players play in

junior tennis tournaments and have private lessons and I feel we’ll

get our share of top athletes in tennis anyways.”