Breakers even score

Mike Sciacca

The Laguna Beach High girls’ tennis team evened the season score with

rival Corona del Mar on a windy Monday afternoon.

Taking on the top-ranked Sea Kings, coached by their former coach,

Brian Ricker, the Breakers recorded a 10-8 victory during a Pacific

Coast League match.

The triumph allowed Laguna to avenge an Oct. 14 loss to the Sea

Kings.

The only Breaker singles player to earn a sweep was Claire Rietsch

at No. 1 singles.

Rietsch blanked Jill Damion, 6-0, edged Alexandra Walters, 7-6,

and blanked Michelle Atkins, 6-0.

Kellie Ammerman dropped her first match at No. 2 singles, then

bounced back to win her last two.

In doubles action, Laguna’s top doubles team of Katie Ochwat and

Correy Miller also swept the Sea Kings, winning, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

The Breakers’ No. 2 team of Lauren Thigpen and Lorren Butterwick

bounced back from a loss in their first match to win their next two.

In its previous Pacific Coast League outing, Laguna downed

University, 14-4.

The Breakers got sweeps from No. 1 singles Katie Ochwat and

Ammerman at No. 2 and a clean sweep in doubles play.

In boys’ water polo, Laguna earned a 10th-place finish at the

South Orange County Tournament.

Fifty-one schools from throughout the southland contended for the

tournament title.

The Breakers defeated league rival Northwood and a pair of Sunset

League teams, Edison and Esperanza, and lost to Carlsbad, Damien and

Valhalla, in posting a 3-2 record.

Laguna hosted Laguna in an important PCL match Wednesday A victory

over the Sea Kings, coupled with a Northwood victory Wednesday, would

create a three-way tie for the league championship.

A loss to Corona del Mar would give Laguna a third-place finish.

The Breakers, who had clinched a CIF playoff berth with a win over

University on Oct. 20, close out their regular season today with a

nonleague match at Long Beach Millikan.

“I’ve been telling the boys that it’s not about the goal, but the

journey,” Coach Rick McKee said of his team’s run this year. “The

guys have really risen to the occasion and are doing it at the right

time in the season.

“They have found their character as a team, and are playing

really, really well as a unit. That’s encouraging and gratifying to

see.”

In boys’ cross country, Laguna swept league foe Calvary Chapel,

which fields a program in its infancy stage, at all levels.

“This race gave me the chance to sit several keys varsity runners

who have minor injuries,” Laguna Coach Dave Brobeck said. “It is a

true blessing not to have to be at full strength when the CIF season

is so close. The race served a great purpose for those varsity

athletes who ran. It was an excellent, controlled tempo workout that

should build more strength for CIF and beyond.

“It was also nice to give some of my frosh-soph hot-shots a chance

to step into a varsity race. Of course, every race from this point

forward is important now. I really like the toughness of this team.

They have bought into my training program and its logic and are in a

great position for success.”

Laguna ran in the league finals Thursday and will compete on Nov.

13 at the CIF-Southern Section prelims.

In girls’ volleyball, Laguna fell to host University Tuesday,

25-11, 25-22, 25-23, in Pacific Coast League play.

The loss dropped Laguna into a third-place tie with Northwood,

which upset previously undefeated league-leader Corona del Mar

Tuesday.

Previously, Laguna had defeated Tesoro, 23-25, 25-19, 25-21,

25-21.

In girls’ golf Monday, Laguna fell to University, 233-276, at

Rancho San Joaquin Golf Course.