Bonnie Adams and Vanessa Dunlap

Steve Virgen

Winning the Sea View League girls tennis team championship proved to

be special for Newport Harbor High seniors Vanessa Dunlap and Bonnie

Adams. But they wanted more.

At the beginning of the season they had planned to play doubles

together, but not until the regular season ended. After Dunlap and

Adams helped lead the Sailors to the Sea View League title, by

playing in different roles, they were excited to team up and add more

memories for their senior year.

They had played on the same doubles team off and on for the past

four years. This past summer the tandem won the girls 18s doubles

title in the War by the Shore tournament. When the regular season

ended for Newport Harbor they reintroduced themselves.

Apparently the decision to team up at the end of the season proved

to be the correct choice for Dunlap and Adams. That’s what seems to

happen when there is trust in a friendship. Having talent doesn’t

hurt, too.

Adams’ strength is her knowledge of doubles competition. She has a

knack for finding the opponents’ weakness and exploiting it.

Dunlap has had consistency on her side throughout the season and

she also lends strong ground strokes and aggressive serving to

complement Adams’ game.

“They’re both really strong singles players, too,” Newport Coach

Fletcher Olson said. “They’re good friends.”

The friendship chemistry was in effect for Adams and Dunlap

earlier this month when the duo won three matches to capture the Sea

View League doubles championship. They entered the league’s doubles

tournament unseeded, and in the final they defeated their teammates

Diana Khoury and A.J. Olson, the top-seeded doubles squad. Dunlap and

Adams won, 6-0. 6-1.

Last week, Dunlap and Adams, the Daily Pilot Athletes of the Week,

recorded two victories in the CIF Southern Section doubles

tournament. They opened the tournament with a first-round bye and

then defeated Amy and Stacy Kaufman of Huntington Beach, 6-1, 6-0. To

advance to the Round of 16, Dunlap and Adams then took out the Sunny

Hills team of Michelle Wong and Michelle Esquivel, 6-2, 6-4, Nov. 22.

Dunlap and Adams will compete in the Round of 16 Thursday at

Seacliff Country Club in Huntington Beach.

“We usually play singles, but we thought it would be fun to play

doubles this year,” Adams said. “We knew we would have a good chance

at winning and playing longer. We just wanted to play because it was

our last year together. We knew we would have fun together.”

It seems as if Dunlap and Adams have always had fun when spending

time with each other. They met at a tennis clinic at the Balboa Bay

Club the summer before they would become freshmen at Newport Harbor.

They knew of each other, but that was just in name, because they had

played in the same tournaments while growing up. But meeting at the

clinic and sharing basically the same goal -- they both wanted to

make the Newport Harbor varsity team -- they became friends quickly.

“When we tried out during the summer we just clicked,” Dunlap

said. “I’m not much of a doubles player, but she’s one of my best

friends and I get along with her so well. She’s so supportive and

that helps me in doubles.”

While Dunlap and Adams have enjoyed success and thrills on the

court in their five matches this year, they also find excitement in

the preparation for competition. The training throughout this past

summer and into the season built up adrenaline and emotion for the

girls in their senor year. They want to continue to play in college.

They have yet to finalize their respective college of choice, but for

now they are taking advantage of the moment.

“Before a lot of our matches we get really pumped up and we just

let it all go during the match,” Adams said. “We’ve been wanting to

play good for so long. We are completely ready and we get excited for

each match because we want to win so badly.”

Dunlap and Adams plan to share that same attitude Thursday.