Sea Kings edged by Dons

Rick Devereux

The plan for the Corona del Mar High boys tennis team Tuesday was for

the doubles teams to win six sets and the singles to win four in

order to ensure a victory over visiting Santa Barbara in the CIF

Southern Section Division I semifinals.

But Scottish poet Robert Burns reminds us that the best laid plans

of mice and men often go awry.

As it turned out, the CdM singles won five sets and the doubles

won three to lose, 10-8, to the Dons. The Sea Kings finish the season

at 20-2 while Santa Barbara improves to 24-1.

The Dons are the only team to beat CdM this season, having also

vanquished the Sea Kings March 16 in the semifinals of the national

high school invitational tournament.

Santa Barbara, the No. 2 seed, will face the winner of the

Harvard-Westlake and Woodbridge semifinal. The finals are scheduled

for June 1 at 11 a.m. at Claremont Club.

“This was a good season, obviously,” said Coach Tim Mang. “There

were all kinds of close sets. This match could have gone either way.”

The intensity level was high from start to finish, as the players,

coaches and fans realized the importance of every set, every game,

every point.

“We escaped,” said Santa Barbara Coach Steve Geremia. “We knew it

was going to be a close one. We know how good they are. [CdM] is such

a quality program, to be able to come here and win is a real

accomplishment.”

CdM, the No. 3 seed, was ahead after the first round, 4-2, thanks

to overtime wins by Wesley Miller in No. 1 singles as well as Spencer

Reitz and Jonathan Kroopf in No. 2 doubles.

Miller scratched out a 7-6 (7-3) win over Blake Muller, who is the

No. 2 seed in the CIF individual tournament, and the tandem of Reitz

and Kroopf defeated Chris Ho and A.J Stein, 7-6 (7-5).

“I was just trying to keep more returns in play,” Miller said.

Muller is the only player to defeat Miller this season in singles.

“He is so big, when he comes to the net, he covers a lot of area and

it’s hard to get a shot by him.”

Geremia split up his top doubles team of Ho and Grant Robertson in

order to try to win as many sets as possible.

“If those two are together, I only get three points,” Geremia

said. “But if I split them up, maybe we get four or five points.”

Ho and Stein won two of their three sets, along with Robertson and

Greg Soulgaes. Brian Frantz and Marshall Turner, Santa Barbara’s No.

3 doubles team, also won two of three.

Muller had another set go to the tiebreaker in the second round

against Fabian Matthews. The CdM freshman pushed the tiebreaker to

6-6, but Muller pulled out the final two points for the 7-6 (8-6)

victory.

“I was a little worried [about losing],” Blake said. “Wes beat me

and Fabian played really well. You just have to do your best.

Someone’s got win and someone’s got to lose.”

The set and tiebreaker featured amazing plays from both players.

“It was way too amazing for me,” Geremia said. “We were really

fortunate to come away with a win [Tuesday]. CdM is the program you

measure your program against. This is the premiere program in

Southern California.”

The Sea Kings’ early success had Santa Barbara worried.

“It was apparent that Wesley and Fabian would be nails for them,”

Geremia said. “Once our doubles got with program and started winning,

we were in good shape.”

Thanks to a sweep in the second of doubles, the Dons held a 7-5

advantage headed into the third and final round. The Sea Kings

counted on Miller and Matthews to deliver wins, but for Muller to win

his singles match, which meant all three CdM doubles teams needed to

win for a team victory, or two doubles wins in order to force a tie.

After Ho and Stein won their set, 6-0, it was apparent the Sea

Kings had to win the remaining two to force a tie. The competition

grew so heated, an altercation almost broke out during a match, but

cooler heads prevailed.

Franz and Turner won their set, 6-4, to seal the Santa Barbara

victory, but Matt Chou and Ryan Caughren beat their opponents, 7-6

(7-4). Chou and Caughren, who also beat Franz and Turner 6-4, were

the only CdM doubles team to have more than one win.

“We fought hard and gave it our best,” Coughren said. “Sometimes

it’s just not enough.”

Miller, who swept his singles sets, said his success didn’t matter

considering the team didn’t win.

“It sort of puts a damper on it when the team loses,” he said.

While the team’s season is over, Miller, along with Pacific Coast

League doubles champions Chou and Reitz, will continue to play in the

CIF individual tournament. The round of 16 picks up play Friday at 11

a.m. at the Seal Beach Tennis Center.

CIF Division I semifinals

Santa Barbara 10, CdM 8

Singles -- Miller (CdM) def. Muller, 7-6, def. James, 6-0, def.

Markowitz, 6-0; Matthews (CdM) lost, 6-7, won, 6-0, 6-1; B. Pham

(CdM) lost, 0-6, 0-6, 2-6.

Doubles -- S. Pham-Nguyen (CdM) lost to Robertson-Soulgaes, 1-6,

lost to Ho-Stein, 0-6, lost to Franz-Turner, 3-6; Reitz-Kroopf (CdM)

lost, 3-6, won, 7-6, lost, 4-6; Chou-Caughren (CdM) won, 7-6, lost,

4-6, won, 6-4.