Continuing the streak

Bryce Alderton

CORONA DEL MAR -- It can’t get much better than it did for the

Corona del Mar High girls tennis team than it did last year.

The Sea Kings went 24-0 en route to their second straight CIF

Division IV crown in beating Palm Desert, 13-5, while extending their

winning streak to 36 since moving to the Pacific Coast League in

1999.

So the only thing better than going undefeated would be to go

undefeated and win the CIF title a third year in a row, a feat CdM

will try to accomplish this fall.

But the road may not be as easy as last season as CdM lost eight

seniors including such standouts as Brittany Reitz, Leslie Damion and

Brittany Minna.

However, the Sea Kings return six players from last year’s CIF

championship team including seniors Anne Yelsey and Taylynn Snyder

along with juniors Brittany Holland, Amanda Rubenstein, Juliette

Mutzke and Jamie Steele.

In CdM’s title match against Palm Desert, Yelsey won two singles’

matches after losing her first match as Holland posted three singles’

wins.

CdM should still figure to pack a punch and be right there with

the top teams in the county when CIF playoffs begin, but Coach Andy

Stewart acknowledges that the climb to the top this year will be more

difficult.

“As long as our players stay healthy I think we should be very

good and do as well as last year but it won’t be as easy as last

year,” Stewart said. “I don’t know anybody coming in that can replace

a Leslie or a Brittany, that’s asking a lot. But I still think with

Anne, Brittany (Holland) and Taylynn we’re as good as anybody with

those three playing singles.”

Stewart will wait and see how practices progress before he decides

on doubles teams and said he might “mix-and-match” doubles duos

depending on the opponent.

“ I have to see how all six girls are playing before forming

doubles teams,” Stewart said. “We were so deep in doubles last year

it was ridiculous. When you win two matches against Peninsula it’s a

pretty nice feeling.”