Eagles’ nucleus returns

Bryce Alderton

Estancia High girls tennis coach Rachel de los Santos said the key in

the Eagles’ run to the second round of the CIF Southern Section

Division V playoffs last season was their ability to handle pressure

and not give in to nerves.

The fourth-year coach has reason for optimism that this year’s

group will have similar qualities since eight players return off a

team that went 14-2, including a 12-0 mark to win the Golden West

League title.

Senior Yvonne Zaidler and sophomore Sara Stratton return to lead

the Eagles in singles. Each saw action last season behind Stacie

Nellor, who graduated in June after finishing second in the league

singles tournament last fall.

“Stacie was really consistent for us. We counted on her to win

three sets,” de los Santos said.

But de los Santos said Stratton has been working extra hard in the

off-season, taking lessons and playing in more tournaments, to fill

the gap left by Nellor’s departure.

Estancia also lost its No. 1 doubles team of a year ago in Kittiya

Sudhikam and Huong Thai to graduation. They were third in the league

doubles tournament, but de los Santos remains confident returners and

maybe some newcomers can fill that void.

Juniors Heather Morton, Sarah Muradian and Sage O’Toole return, as

do seniors Kathryn Kulczyk and Hannah Simmons.

Muradian and O’Toole teamed together in doubles last year as did

Kulczyk and Simmons.

At times, Morton paired with Asia Ingram, who also graduated, but

de los Santos said she might move Morton into the No. 3 singles

position, depending on how tryouts go.

“Even though we lost our No. 1 doubles team, I think we’re still

pretty strong,” de los Santos said.

De los Santos is also excited about senior Marci Kirchberg, a

goalkeeper on the Eagles’ girls soccer team, who didn’t lose a match

playing No. 1 singles for the junior varsity team last year.

Practices begin Monday and de los Santos said she expects to have

45 girls trying out with the few remaining varsity spots up for

grabs.

The Eagles open the season playing host to Orange, a league foe,

at 3:15 p.m. Sept. 9.

De los Santos expects the perennial favorites such as Santa Ana

and Westminster to be near the top, along with her team.

“I think it’s wide open unless one of these schools gets a new

freshman I haven’t heard about,” de los Santos said. “Our biggest

competition might be Westminster because it lost the fewest seniors.”

The Eagles defeated Santa Ana, 12-6, to clinch the league title

last year, when de los Santos witnessed her team’s maturity.

“The girls were not nervous and played their best and we won by a

lot more than I expected,” de los Santos said. “[Santa Ana Coach Luis

Rodriguez] told me our players performed well under pressure and were

really consistent.”

De los Santos is slowly establishing a consistent program.

The Eagles have improved in each of their first two years in the

Golden West League -- they finished second in 2002 -- after moving

from the Pacific Coast League. Continuing that trend is expected this

season.

“We’re going to try for No. 1 again,” de los Santos said.