Lightning strikes twice

sage tennis CIF finalGirls’ tennis team wins CIF title two days after girls’ volleyball squad brings home school’s first CIF championship.CLAREMONT -- The year of the Lightning is in full swing.

Two days after the Sage Hill School girls’ volleyball team brought home the school’s first CIF championship, the girls’ tennis team followed it up on Monday with another one.

Led by singles players Ashley Adams, Sarah Geocaris and Stephanie Langer, the Lightning defeated Aquinas of San Bernardino, 10-8, for the CIF Southern Section Division V title at The Claremont Club.

“We’re very excited about the volleyball team winning; this has been a great year for Sage Hill athletics,” Lightning Coach A.G. Longoria said. “Both our girls’ and boys’ cross country teams are going to state, football is still doing well and we just won, so we’re having a great year.”

The Lightning (22-3) overcame the Falcons’ strategy of stacking their best players in doubles, and powered to the victory with dominant singles performances. Sage Hill had edged Aquinas (22-3) before the last round of doubles play started.

Geocaris and Langer both swept, 6-0, 6-0, 6-0, in singles, while Adams, a sophomore, swept her singles sets, 6-0, 6-0, 6-1.

Adams provided the 10th and deciding point for the Lightning.

“We’re really strong in singles with Sarah and Stephanie,” Adams said. “It was a fun year.”

The duo of senior Grace Graham and freshman Jaclyn Smrecek earned Sage Hill’s lone doubles point, defeating the Falcons’ team of Melissa Fisher and Heather Torres, 6-0.

Sage Hill, which has recorded six shutouts this season, began the season atop the Division V rankings and never slipped up. But being No. 1 gave the team added pressure, Longoria said.

“It was kind of tough,” he said. “People came at us thinking they had nothing to lose. But we’re just so deep for Division V.”

The Lightning, who moved to 20-0 this year against Division V opponents, showed their depth against Aquinas -- having the luxury of making substitutions for the final round of doubles with the title already locked up.

Adams, Geocaris and Langer had Sage Hill in front early, and the team improved from there.

“It’s amazing; I can’t even believe we’re here,” Langer said. “Coming into this, I had no idea [what would happen] because they switched their lineup. But our singles were strong and our doubles are definitely catching up.”

With the Sage Hill girls’ volleyball team winning the CIF Division IV-A title on Saturday, the tennis team on Monday earned the school’s second CIF title -- one year ahead of Longoria’s schedule.

“I’m excited because we did it a year sooner than I thought we would,” Longoria said.

CIF Southern Section Division V

Final

Sage Hill 10,

Aquinas 8

Singles -- Adams def. Revetto, 6-0, def. Ramirez, 6-0, def. Reddix, 6-1; Geocaris (SH) won, 6-0, 6-0, 6-0; Langer (SH) won, 6-0, 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles -- Hsu-Spivack lost to Moon-Alejandro, 6-4, lost to Fisher-H. Torres, 6-4, sub Han-Carerras, lost to O’Connor-C. Torres, 6-1; Graham-Smrecek (SH) won, 6-0, lost, 6-0, sub Williams-Graham, (SH) lost, 7-5; Andrews-Cummings (SH) lost, 6-2, 6-3, sub Webb-Dokich, (SH) lost, 6-4.20051122IP1L7808No Caption20051122iqc8b2knKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Sage Hill’s Erica Spivack watches her shot blast over the net during the Lightning’s CIF Division V final on Monday. 20051122iqc8krknKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Sage Hill’s Ashley Adams hits a backhand return against Aquinas on Monday at The Claremont Club.