CdM tunes up with T-wolves

Rick Devereux

It is easy to see why visiting tennis teams can be intimidated when

they play at Corona del Mar High.

The Sea Kings traditionally have strong teams with outstanding

players and the courts are lined with signs signifying CIF Southern

Section team and individual championships, as well as a few marking

national rankings.

“There is a little home-court advantage for us,” CdM Coach Tim

Mang said.

CdM used that advantage to secure an early lead and cruise to a

14-4 victory over Northwood Monday in a Pacific Coast League match.

The match was a originally rained out two weeks ago and the Sea

Kings had Spring break last week, meaning it had been a while since

CdM played.

“Most guys play a lot of tennis, so the break was not a big

distraction,” senior Spencer Reitz said. “In fact, I think the break

allowed us to rest a bit and gain some energy for the rest of the

season.”

Corona del Mar (12-1, 3-0 in league) released any pent up energy

on the Timberwolves, gaining a 5-1 lead after the first round.

“CdM is awesome,” Northwood Coach Eric Keith said. “This is a very

tough place to play and I think some of our guys came out a little

scared.”

The Timberwolves (6-8, 2-3) also had a two-week hiatus because of

Spring break and the rainMang said he wanted to use the Northwood

match to prepare for today’s home clash against University.

“Mondays are terrible [to play matches],” he said. “It usually

takes a good practice to get back into rhythm. I think this was a

good practice for the Uni match.”

It was a quick practice, at that.

Senior Wesley Miller did not lose a game at No. 1 singles and

freshman Fabian Mathews only lost one game at No. 3 singles.

Miller and Mathews participated in the Easter Bowl tournament at

the Riviera Resort in Palm Springs over the break.

Mang believes the tournament experience is a big reason for CdM’s

dominance.

“That’s where you gain confidence,” he said. “You can play against

your buddy in practice, but it’s not the same. The more tournaments

you play in, the quicker you improve.”

Corona del Mar, which is ranked No. 4 in CIF Southern Section

Division I, extended its lead to 10-2 after the second round to

secure the match victory.

Northwood shook off its early jitters to win 18 games in the

second round, but could only win one set.

“You could see [Northwood] gaining some confidence after the first

round, especially in doubles” Mang said.

The Timberwolves converted that confidence into two victories in

doubles in the third set, but CdM’s singles were too strong.

“[Singles] is definitely our strength right now,” Mang said. “I

put [Reitz] in doubles and he gives us a psychological boost. He

really helps our doubles teams get some points. He is extremely

strong in singles, but we need him in doubles.”

Reitz, the team captain, partnered with fellow senior Matt Chou to

win all three sets at No. 2 doubles.

“This is a great match for us because we don’t usually play

together,” Reitz said. “It gives us time to work together. We will

play in the Ojai tournament, so this is a great warm-up for us.”

Seniors Alex Nguyen and Sean Pham won both No. 3 doubles matches

they played before being subbed out in the third round.

Mang was pleased with how CdM responded in the first match in two

weeks, but acknowledged the real test will be today against

University.

“There were no big surprises [against Northwood],” he said. “I

knew they had three tough doubles teams. There were some really good

matches, but [University] is the big one.”

The Trojans are No. 8 in Division I and undefeated in league,

setting up a first-place showdown today.

Pacific Coast League

CdM 14, Northwood 4

Singles -- Miller (CdM) def. Sigler, 6-0, def. Prokop, 6-0, def.

N. Nguyen, 6-0; Tat (CdM) lost, 2-6, 4-6, (sub) B. Pham (CdM), won,

7-6; Mathews (CdM) won, 6-1, 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles -- Caughren-Kroopf (CdM) def. Tran-Wieskirch, 6-2, lost to

Gassin-Phan, 2-6, def. Choi-Prathipah, 6-4; Reitz-Chou (CdM) won,

6-4, 6-0, 6-0; Leonard-Koury (CdM) lost, 4-6, (sub) A. Nguyen-S. Pham

(CdM) won, 6-3, 6-3.