Sailors square series

Bryce Alderton

Dorsey Adams, mother of Newport Harbor High sisters Bonnie and Carly

Adams, came up to her daughters between their first and second sets

Tuesday against visiting Woodbridge and gave them the news: she had

bought a house.

Taken aback by the surprise announcement, the Sailors’ doubles duo

thrived and won their next two sets, just one of Newport’s key

performances in a 10-8 Sea View League girls tennis victory to avenge

a defeat to the Warriors by the same count nearly three weeks ago.

The Sailors (10-3, 5-1 in league) and the Warriors (8-8, 5-1) were

tied, 8-8, with two matches still on court.

Newport freshman Chrissy Schwartz, playing singles for the second

time this season, and Natalie Call had players and coaches from both

teams surrounding the court watching the last match to finish

Tuesday.

Call was serving down, 4-5, after winning the two previous games,

but folded under pressure. Schwartz calmly returned shots from the

baseline using both her backhand and forehand, including during one

rally that lasted about 50 hits. Schwartz led, 40-15, and won after

Call’s shot hit the net.

“I was nervous, but knew I could do it,” Schwartz said. “I was

more focused on being consistent and not going for quite as many

winners.”

The Adams sisters trailed Woodbridge’s Jamie Spitz and Kelly

Snyderman, 3-4, before claiming a 6-4 victory minutes before

Schwartz’s triumph.

Bonnie and Carly, a sophomore, discovered a newfound energy after

hearing about the house purchase.

“That cheered us up,” senior Bonnie Adams said. “We were so

excited we were crying ... there were tears of joy. I was happier

playing the second set. In the first match we weren’t as pumped as we

should have been. We needed to calm down more. In the second and

third sets were more aggressive.” The Adams’ defeated Woodbridge’s

No. 1 duo of Lily Cao and Samantha Reeve, 6-4, rebounding from a 3-2

deficit.

Newport’s No. 1 doubles team of seniors A.J. Olson and Diana

Khoury lost just five games in sweeping all three sets for the

Sailors while classmate Vanessa Dunlap took two of three sets.

Sophomore Brittanny Sturgess added a key 6-4 victory over Kayleigh

Solow after trailing, 1-4, in the third round.

“Chrissy and Brittanny were huge in singles,” Newport Coach

Fletcher Olson said. “They did what they needed to do. Everyone

contributed.”

Olson, like Woodbridge Coach Ric Barth, shifted her lineups from

the last time these teams met.

Olson moved Sturgess to singles and shifted Bonnie Adams and Diana

Khoury to doubles. The change worked as Newport, ranked ninth in CIF

Southern Section Division I, claimed five doubles sets Tuesday

compared to two the previous meeting.

“The doubles teams pulled through today,” Olson said. “Woodbridge

is a good team. [Barth] underestimates how good his team is.”

Barth stacked his singles, which included Ashley Williams, who

lost just one game in sweeping all three sets, improving to 40-5 on

the season. But Woodbridge, ranked seventh in CIF Southern Section

Division I, which lost seven seniors from last year, doesn’t have

quite the depth of previous years.

“We only have so many horses,” Barth said.

The Sailors also took Tuesday’s match more seriously than this

season’s prior meeting with the Warriors, Bonnie Adams said.

“The first time we subconsciously thought we would win easily, but

now we know we have to try our hardest to win,” she said.

The increased intensity began Monday night with a team dinner and

was followed Tuesday before the match with a nail-painting session

and several players drawing anchors and the school’s “NH” logo with

either blue or silver paint on their upper arms.

Banners displaying past Newport CIF finalist teams graced the

fence of one of the courts, adding a taste of tradition to Tuesday’s

match.

“[Bill Dunlap] found those and decided to put them up,” Bonnie

Adams said. “It shows a legacy.”

If Woodbridge and Newport win out, they would each be co-league

champs, Olson said.

*--*

Sea View League

Newport 10, Woodbridge 8 Singles -- Schwartz (NH) lost to Williams, 0-6, def. Call, 6-4, def. Solow, 6-0; Sturgess (NH) lost, 1-6, 2-6, won, 6-4; V. Dunlap (NH) lost, 0-6, won, 6-2, 6-0.

Doubles -- Khoury-Olson (NH) def. Cao-Reeve, 6-1, def. Brenner-Castleton, 6-1, def. Spitz-Snyderman, 6-3; B. Adams-C. Adams (NH) won, 6-4, lost, 2-6, won, 6-4; S. Dunlap-McKay (NH) lost, 0-6, 4-6, 4-6.

*--*