Title win is ‘great way to go out’

Laguna Beach High girls’ tennis defeats No. 1 Peninsula to capture CIF Division I championship; departing coach Greg Weiss ends his career in style.It was the perfect going-away present, Greg Weiss said.

Weiss, who earlier this month announced he was resigning as head coach of the Laguna Beach High girls’ tennis team, was given one last hurrah by his squad at Monday’s CIF-Southern Section Division I championship match at the Claremont Club in Claremont.

The outcome of the match between the fifth-ranked Breakers and top-ranked Peninsula of Rolling Hills Estates came down to one set in doubles play. Laguna’s No. 2 tandem of Lorren Butterwick and Lauren Thigpen provided the dramatics by rallying from a 3-2 deficit to win, 6-3.

It was enough to give Laguna a 10-8 victory over the Panthers and its first Division I championship in the sport.

It was also the second time this season that Laguna has defeated Peninsula, which also lost in last year’s finals. On Oct. 26, the Breakers went on the road to defeat the Panthers, 11-7. Laguna is the only team to defeat Peninsula this season.

The Breakers concluded the year with a 22-1 record, which included a share of the Pacific Coast League title.

“To share the league title and now win a CIF championship, well, it doesn’t get any better than this,” Weiss said. “This is just a great way to go out. I had told the girls that I wanted this as a going away present, and they responded. They had a tremendous year. They’re a special group of girls, a lot of whom I’ve known since they were youngsters. I’m thrilled for them. I got teary-eyed during our celebration.”

In the first meeting between the teams, Laguna scored a majority of its points in singles play during an 11-7 victory. Monday, the Breakers’ doubles team came up big, scoring six points.

“I can’t say enough about the play of our doubles teams,” Weiss said. “Their playing well was crucial, and they really came through. And then there was Claire [Rietsch and Lyndsay [Kinstler] who came up huge in singles play.”

In doubles action, Laguna’s top team of Katie Ochwat and Kellie Ammerman led the charge by winning two of three.

In singles, Rietsch, at No. 1, and Kinstler, at No. 2, dominated their Panther opponents. That wasn’t the case on Oct. 26, when both lost to Peninsula’s top singles player, Tania Mahtani.

Not this time around, as Rietsch swept by scores of 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 and Kinstler rolled to 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 wins. Sarah Russell dropped her first two sets but won, 6-3, in her third.

When Laguna defeated Peninsula on Oct. 26, the Breakers took over the top spot from the Panthers in the Division I poll. They enjoyed that lofty perch for just one week; when the CIF playoff brackets were released nearly two weeks ago, Peninsula got the No. 1 seed, and Laguna wasn’t seeded. The Breakers had gone from first to fifth in the rankings.

Without losing.

But they ascended to the top spot for good by taking care of business Monday where it mattered most -- on the court.

“After we defeated Peninsula the first time, I told the girls that they still had work to do,” Weiss said. “We took the playoffs one match at a time. Since we first took the court for practice back on Aug. 22, our goal has been to get to CIF finals and take it from there. The girls certainly have achieved their goals and have a lot to be very proud of.”

Laguna’s road to the championship began with a first-round 15-3 win over Westlake, followed by a 14-4 second-round win over Laguna Niguel. In the quarterfinals, Laguna defeated third-seeded Dana Hills 10-8 for the second time this season. In semifinal round play, the Breakers came away with a 10-8 road victory over second-seeded Calabasas.

Monday’s final was the final match for seniors Rietsch, Butterwick, Ochwat, Ammerman, Gabby Robinson, Kristen Drury and Melissa Johnson. Thigpen, Kinstler and Ali Hunter are juniors, Russell a sophomore and Paige Polozois and Heather Tran are freshmen.

The Laguna team was taken by a limousine to Monday’s final. Weiss said that the limo driver watched the match, and when it was apparent that the Breakers had secured their first Division I title, the driver wrote “CIF champions” on all the limo windows.

“That was great.” Weiss said. “It was a great way to end a really fun day.” 20051125iqfj1mknNo Caption20051125iqfj15knPHOTOS BY KENT TREPTOW / COASTLINE PILOT(LA)Laguna Beach coach Greg Weiss and player Claire Rietsch, right, congratulate teammate Lauren Thigpen after she and partner Lorren Butterwick won the final doubles match against Peninsula in the CIF Division I girls’ tennis championship at Claremont Tennis Club on Monday. Below, Laguna Beach’s Claire Rietsch stretches for a shot.