Sea Kings upended by Laguna

Bryce Alderton

Corona del Mar High senior Juliette Mutzke and freshman partner Jill

Damion improved their doubles record to 12-0 Thursday, but host

Laguna Beach also remained undefeated, where it counts.

The Breakers took seven of nine singles sets to pace a 10-8

Pacific Coast League girls tennis victory, the first time they have

defeated the Sea Kings since CdM moved into the Pacific Coast League

in 1999.

“We tied last year, 9-9, and [CdM] won on games. [It is] the only

school with more depth than we have,” Laguna Beach Coach Brian Ricker

said. “I knew we had the advantage in singles and they were strong in

doubles. The girls performed well. [Lauren] Butterwick had some

clutch wins.”

The sophomore took two of three sets despite limping gingerly on a

right leg with tape wrapped around her thigh. Sophomore Claire

Rietsch, the PCL singles champion last year, lost just two games en

route to sweeping for Laguna (7-0, 1-0 in league), ranked third in

CIF Southern Section Division I. The loss drops the Sea Kings, No. 4

in Division I, to 3-4, 0-1.

“[Rietsch] was playing tough today, she came out on fire,” CdM

Coach Scott Feichter said. “They have more girls to go to [in

singles]. I have no one to match up with them.”

CdM senior Brittany Holland took two of three sets at No. 1

singles after losing the first set to Rietsch, 6-0.

Mutzke and Damion, CdM’s No.1 doubles duo, didn’t lose a game and

scored CdM’s only sweep. Junior Jami Steele and freshman partner

Hayley Young took two of three matches.

“[Damion] is a good volleyer and I like to set it up,” said

Mutzke. “I like playing Laguna Beach. The matches are always tough.”

Mutzke and Damion were forced to warm up between sets due to the

length senior Jackie Manning and freshman partner Miranda Young

played their opponents to.

Manning and Young defeated Lauren Harris and Correy Miller, 7-5,

to start the match and extended senior Britton Simons and junior

Addison Doud to a 6-6 tie before the Laguna pair scored a 7-4 victory

in the tiebreak with members from both teams watching.

“I love beating CdM, I’m happy for a week,” said Doud, who also

plays on the girls water polo team. “We were up, 3-1, and thought we

had it. We had to outsmart them with lobs and mix it up. Britton is a

great lobber and baseline player. I like to be at the net so we

off-set each other.”

“[Doud and Simons] made it tough on us,” Feichter said. “There was

pressure.”

The teams were tied, 3-3, after one set, but Laguna took the lead

for good after the second round, 7-5. The Breakers had a 9-6 lead in

the third set, but Mutzke and Damion disposed of Doud and Simons

while Steele and Hayley Young were busy defeating Harris and Miller,

6-4.

Hayley Young controlled the net, hitting a backhand winner in the

final game while Steele put the game away with a fierce volley down

the service line.

Players and coaches then strolled to watch Manning and Miranda

Young against Jackie Reed and a substitute for Kellie Ammerman, a

sophomore who played singles for Sage Hill last fall. The Laguna duo

triumphed, 6-2, to avert having count games to decide the match’s

outcome.

Freshman Jillian Braverman, who turned 14 Thursday, won five games

and sophomore Rachel Miller took seven for CdM.

*--*

Pacific Coast League

Laguna Beach 10, CdM 8

Singles -- Holland (CdM) lost to Rietsch, 0-6, def. Butterwick, 6-3, def. Ochwat, 6-3; Braverman (CdM) lost, 2-6, 0-6, 3-6; Miller (CdM) lost, 0-6, 3-6, 4-6. Doubles -- Mutzke-Damion (CdM) def. Reed-Ammerman, 6-0, def. Harris-Miller, 6-0, def.

Simons-Doud, 6-0; M. Young-Manning (CdM) lost to (sub) Murray-Reed, 2-6, won, 7-5, lost, 6-7 (4-7); Steele-H. Young (CdM) lost to Reed-Ammerman, 4-6, won, 6-4, 6-2.

*--*