Sea Kings sizzling

Bryce Alderton

A sign from nature spurred the Corona del Mar High girls tennis team

to a rain-shortened 10-2 victory over host San Clemente in the second

round of the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs Saturday.

Not like the Sea Kings (14-4), the No. 4 seed in Division I,

needed any added motivation.

A steady rain began to fall late in the second round with CdM

leading, 9-2. The Sea Kings needed to win the 10th game or else both

teams would have had to resume the match on Monday.

But CdM’s doubles team of Jackie Manning and Miranda Young fought

through a slippery court to claim a 7-6 (7-2) victory over San

Clemente’s No. 1 duo of Liz Buckley and Olivia Muesse.

Manning and Young, a senior and freshman, respectively, led, 4-3,

before the Triton duo won the next two games. Manning and Young took

a 6-5 lead before dropping the subsequent game and the match

continued into the tiebreaker with rain falling steadily.

“You try not to fall on your face,” Young said.

“We just wanted to finish it out,” Manning said with a smile on

her face. All four players exchanged laughs and smiles at playing in

the rain with teammates and coaches watching.

CdM senior Brittany Holland, the Pacific Coast League singles

champion, and sophomore Rachel Miller, hurried onto their respective

courts to begin their third sets, but after a few rallies, they

quickly ran off the court to seek shelter.

The showers hardly dampened CdM, which claimed all six doubles

sets with Manning and Young adding a 6-0 victory along with the No. 1

duo of senior Juliette Mutzke and freshman Jillian Braverman tallying

wins of 6-0, 6-1. Jami Steele and Hayley Young, Miranda’s twin

sister, won their two sets, 6-2, 6-0.

Holland earned victories of 6-4, 6-0, while Miller swept one set

and freshman Jill Damion claimed a 6-1 triumph. Senior Amanda

Rubenstein battled hard in her singles set before falling to freshman

Ariana Polovkinova.

The Tritons (16-4) defeated El Modena, 18-0, Thursday, which

caused some initial anxiety for the Sea Kings heading into Saturday’s

match. CdM also won its playoff opener Thursday, 18-0, against Bishop

Montgomery.

“When we got here [Saturday] the girls were tight,” CdM Coach

Scott Feichter said. “They thought it might be tough because [the

Tritons] won, 18-0, and they have the two Russian girls [Polovkinova

and Micaela Hein]. But after the first round on the court and hitting

balls they took a sigh of relief. They wanted it to be easy so they

convinced themselves going in that it might be tough.”

The Sea Kings will play in the quarterfinals Tuesday against Mater

Dei (18-0). A coin flip will determine the home team.

Newport falls short

* After a one-hour rain delay, Newport Harbor lost, 11-7, to

visiting Harvard-Westlake in a second-round match of the CIF Southern

Section Division I playoffs Saturday.

Harvard-Westlake (13-6) broke away from a 6-6 tie, winning five of

the six finals sets, including two 7-5 wins in singles and a 6-4

victory in doubles. The Wolverines won six of the nine sets in

singles.

In doubles, A.J. Olson and Diana Khoury swept at the No. 1

position while Bonnie Adams collected two victories in singles for

the Sailors (13-9).

Eagles edged by Linfield

* A change of venue might have been the difference in Estancia

High’s 10-8 loss to Linfield Christian in the second round of the CIF

Southern Section Division V playoffs Saturday.

The match was supposed to be at Estancia, but because of rain,

Eagles Coach Rachel del los Santos agreed to move the contest to

Linfield Christian in Temecula.

Linfield Christian (18-0) won seven of the nine doubles sets to

gain the slight advantage overall on the Eagles (14-2). Senior Stacie

Nellor swept in singles, including a 7-6, (7-5) victory over

Linfield’s No. 2 player.

Sage Hill advances

* Even with Sage Hill’s No. 1 singles player, Sarah Geocaris, out

with a pulled muscle, the No. 1-ranked girls tennis team easily

defeated Silverado, 15-3, in the second round of the CIF Division V

playoffs Saturday.

The Lightning’s Stephanie Langer, Salen Andrews and Alle Hsu each

won two singles sets.

In doubles, Sage’s Jessica Tsoong and Sarah Flynn won two sets,

while Grace Graham and Laura Webb and Rachel Heyler and Carissa

Cummings won all three.

Sage Hill (17-3) will play Burroughs or San Dimas in the

quarterfinals Tuesday.