CdM, Harbor renew rivalry in tennis

Paige Polizois walked off the tennis court at Corona del Mar High Tuesday afternoon after dropping three sets in singles.

But her confidence was nowhere near low when she started to think about the Sea Kings’ next opponent. A smile came to her face when she talked about how CdM will play host to Back Bay rival Newport Harbor today at 3:15 p.m.

“I think we’ll kill ‘em,” she said playfully.

It’s been quite awhile since Polizois or anyone else from CdM has been able to say that about the Sailors. The last time these teams met was in 2002, when the Sea Kings came out on top, 15-3.

Corona del Mar is hoping to win by a big margin today when the rivalry is renewed.

“I’m really excited for [today] and the girls are excited,” said CdM fifth-year coach Brian Ricker, who has never had a team play against the Sailors. “These girls never had a Battle of the Bay in tennis. All the sports get to do it, some of the sports get two games. [But] the match is probably going to be one-sided this year.”

Ricker, of course, was talking about in the Sea Kings’ favor. He has good reason to believe that about Corona del Mar, which features a senior class that makes the Sea Kings strong in doubles. They’re without two of their top players — Melissa Matsuoka is out with an strained right wrist and Hailey Hogan is no longer at the school — but they’re still poised to make a run at the CIF Southern Section Division I championship.

That always seems to be the case at Corona del Mar. Perhaps that’s why there hasn’t been any Back Bay matchups between the rivals.

Actually reasons vary why the Sailors and Sea Kings haven’t clashed. Some say scheduling difficulties, which did happen in 2004. That was Ricker’s first year, when rain came in the way of the rivalry meeting, and the match was never made up. Former Newport Harbor coach Fletcher Olson said the match was scheduled last year, but the Southern California fires ended that reunion, she said.

She couldn’t remember the last time the teams met, and Coach Kristen Case, who is in her second year with the Sailors — her first as head coach — had no idea why the teams haven’t played against each other.

“[The Sailors] wouldn’t play us,” Ricker said. “The scores would have been very lopsided the past four years.”

But a few Newport Harbor seniors urged Case to make sure to schedule the Battle of the Bay match this year during this past spring. It’s not like Case didn’t want the Sea Kings.

She remembers playing against CdM in her days with the Sailors, 1999-2000. That’s when wins weren’t one-sided.

“It’s a lot different now than when I played,” Case said. “It was brutal. The teams were so even. It could have gone either way. We also played against each other in tournaments outside of high school. We had the grudge thing going on.”

But things will be different today, said Case, who has a deeper connection with the Sea Kings than just playing against them. She was a frosh-soph coach at CdM in 2004.

“The girls that were freshmen there are now seniors,” Case said. “They are awesome girls. I’m going to love watching them play. They are really a nice group of girls. It’s not going to be a catfight. It’s going to be a fun match. That’s what I anticipate.”

It would probably a bit more enjoyable for the Sailors if they had one of their top players in senior Nelly Radeva. She is playing in individual tournaments and will return to the team in October.

That’s when the Sailors’ team will be the real Newport Harbor. No, not the show that aired on MTV last year and focused on former Harbor tennis player Chrissy Schwartz. This one is less dramatic.

But it just might turn out to be entertaining today.

“I’m really excited about it,” said Newport Harbor senior Natalie Small, who still keeps in touch with Schwartz, now at USC. “I heard they have a really good team. We’ve been working pretty hard all summer. Whatever happens, I know our team is going to try really hard. It’s going to be a good match.”

CORONA DEL MAR

Coach: Brian Ricker (fifth season)

2007 record: (20-3 overall, reached CIF Southern Section Division I final; won the Pacific Coast League for the ninth straight year)

Returning starters: Melissa Matsuoka (Jr.); Danielle Kaiden (Sr.); Paige Polizois (Sr.), Karen Ishii (Sr.); Lindsay Zotovich (Sr.); Kelli Feeley (Jr.); Elizabeth Nguyen (Jr.); Azadeh Nazemi (Jr.); Rebecca Beyer (Sr.); Auriel O’Neil (Sr.)

Key newcomers: Katelyn Nguyen (Fr.); Betsy Murray (Jr.); Karoline Wang (Jr.)

Key dates: Corona del Mar All-American Tournament, Oct. 10-11; home vs. Dana Hills, Oct. 15; home vs. Newport Harbor, today; at Troy, Sept. 23.

Outlook: The Sea Kings expect to be especially strong in doubles, led by seniors Kaiden, Zotovich, Ishii and Beyer. Polizois has played mostly doubles in her three years at CdM, but mainly play singles this year. Singles should be bolstered once Matsuoka returns from a strained right wrist.

COSTA MESA

Coach: Fausto Hinojosa (first year)

Returning starters: Sandra Im (Sr.); Tammy Lu (Jr.); Rachel Daley (Jr.)

Key newcomers: Lisa Vu (Fr.); Martina Go (So.); Kristy Figueroa (So.)

Outlook: Hinojosa was introduced as the Mustangs coach earlier this month and has been learning more about his team day by day. He’ll find out a lot when it opens the season Sept. 25 at home against Loara. Hinojosa takes over for Jim Weeks, who retired last year.

Hinojosa, who is from the Newport-Mesa area, is in his first year coaching varsity girls tennis. He coached junior varsity boys and girls in 2002, when he lived in New York. But he returned to the area at the urging of his daughter, Elyse, who wanted to graduate from Newport Harbor. He would also like to see his players accomplish goals this season.

ESTANCIA

Coach: Rachel de los Santos (eighth year)

2007 record: 12-6, 5-2 in Orange Coast League (second place); advanced to first round of CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs.

Returning starters: Ellie Edles (Sr.); Kendra Fisher (Jr.); Jennifer Johnston (Sr.); Alex Payzant (Sr.); Erin Rodman (Sr.); Natalie Placencia (Sr.); Misha Brown (Jr.); Laurel Hinson (So.)

Key newcomers: Erin O’Neil (So.); Kori Erhorn (Sr.); Nicole Marlborough (Jr.)

Key dates: vs. Sage Hill at Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club, Oct. 2; at Laguna Beach, Oct. 9; home vs. Laguna Beach, Oct. 28.

Outlook: The Eagles return their top two singles players, in Edles and Fisher. Edles had a busy summer playing tournaments, including at the USTA girls’ 18s national championships in Berkeley. De los Santos said Edles is looking at colleges and considering UC Davis and Colorado State.

Johnston, who was part of the No. 1 doubles team last year with graduate Abby Koff, will move to singles. Having three tough singles players may help Estancia be more competitive with the defending league champion, Laguna Beach.

NEWPORT HARBOR

Coach: Kristen Case (second year)

2007 record: 13-6, 6-4 in Sunset League (third place); advanced to first round of CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs.

Returning starters: Liz Cramer (Sr.); Natalie Small (Sr.).

Key newcomers: Nelly Radeva (Sr.); Cynthia Waterman (Jr.); Rebecca Arnold (So.); Alex Aiello (So.); Riley Mathies (So.); Lauren Conway (So.); Maddie Beck (Jr.); Blake Bakkila (Fr.).

Key dates: at Corona del Mar, today; vs. Los Alamitos at Seal Beach tennis Center, Oct. 7; home vs. Esperanza, Oct. 14; home vs. Los Al, Oct. 23; at Esperanza, Oct. 30.

Outlook: The Sailors lost their top two singles players in graduates Alex McIntosh and Emily Gelbaum. They return just two starters in Cramer and Small, and seniors Jeanne Frei and Suzy Strutner are the only other returning varsity players.

But Case’s team does have a talented nucleus, including Cal-bound Radeva, an experienced tournament player who is playing high school tennis for the first time. Waterman and Arnold also dominated at the junior varsity level last year, and they should play key roles if Newport Harbor can challenge league champion Los Alamitos and always-tough Esperanza.

SAGE HILL

Coach: A.G. Longoria (ninth year)

2007 record: 16-5, 9-0 in Academy League (first place); advanced to CIF Southern Section Division IV quarterfinals.

Returning starters: Julia Blakeley (Jr.); Jaclyn Smrecek (Sr.); Sarah Choi (Sr.); Isa-Marie Taskinen (Sr.); Laney Tucker (Sr.); Dominique Moore (Jr.).

Key newcomers: Katie Bick (Fr.); Rian Billingsley (Fr.); Devyn Billingsley (So.); Olivia Simon (So.); Casey Astorino (Fr.).

Key dates: Sage Hill Prep Classic, Sept. 26-27; at St. Margaret’s, Sept. 30; home vs. St. Margaret’s, Oct. 17.

Outlook: The Lightning are more experienced than a year ago, when Smrecek was the only returning varsity player. This year, Sage has a deep squad, headlined by No. 1 Blakeley. Longoria said Bick, who is also a tournament player, may step in at No. 2 singles.

Sage Hill has already notched noteworthy wins over Newport Harbor and Los Alamitos.

“We lost last year in the [CIF] quarterfinals with probably the weakest team we’ve had in six years,” Longoria said. “[This year] we feel like our JV and our varsity are probably the deepest and strongest we’ve had since we won CIF [in 2005].”