High School Roundup: Trip to finals stopped short for Laguna Beach girls’ tennis team
One step away. That was the short distance separating the Laguna Beach girls’ tennis team from an appearance in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship match.
The Breakers’ bid for a spot in the D-2 final was denied Wednesday by Murrieta Valley as the host Nighthawks rode strong singles play to a 12-6 victory.
Laguna, champion of the Orange Coast League and the division’s No. 3-seed, ended its season 19-5.
Southwestern League champ Murrieta Valley will play for the division title Friday (Nov. 14). The second-seeded Nighthawks will face top seeded Valencia/Valencia (Foothill League champ) at 10 at the Claremont Club in Claremont.
Laguna got a sweep at No. 1 doubles from the team of Ashley Shelton and Madeline Loomis who won by scores of 6-2, 6-4, 6-3. Also picking up points for the Breakers were the doubles teams of No. 2 Bailey Jaeger/Kelly Keller (5-7, 2-6, 6-0) and No. 3 Malia Helms/Natasha Keces (3-6, 3-6, 6-4), and No. 2 singles Summer Dvorak (6-7,4-6, 6-0).
“Like our 9-9 (79-74) win over Troy on Monday, it was a tough match, but I was especially proud of how well the girls competed, and pulled for their teammates,” Laguna Coach Don Davis said. “The playing conditions were fast which helped their singles players a lot, and this definitely affected the outcome.”
In Monday’s quarterfinal round, Laguna traveled to Fullerton Troy (Freeway League champion). The teams played to a 9-9, tie but the Breakers advanced on games, 79-74. Dvorak, at No. 1 singles, swept (6-0, 6-1, 6-0). Shelton/Loomis won two of three sets (5-7, 6-1, 6-1) at No. 1 doubles.
Laguna started postseason play on Nov. 5 and scored a 14-4 victory over Vista Murrieta (Southwestern League No. 3), and won by the same 14-4 score in a second-round game on Friday against Tri-Valley League runner-up Carpinteria. In the win over Carpinteria, sweeps were registered by Dvorak (6-2, 6-0, 6-0), Shelton/Loomis (6-4, 6-0, 6-2) and Helms/Keces (6-3, 6-0, 7-5).
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Boys’ Water Polo
The Breakers, the No. 1-seed in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs, started their postseason journey Wednesday in their home pool and overwhelmed visiting Vista Murietta, 21-3.
Senior Jack Dodson scored a game-high four goals, seniors Cade Baldridge (two assists, four steals), Greyson Benson and Henry White each scored three goals, and senior goalie Garret Hartley had seven saves for Laguna which shut out the Broncos in the opening half in staking its way to a 16-0 halftime advantage.
Vista Murrieta, the third-place team from the Southwestern League, defeated San Marino (Rio Hondo League No. 3), 12-11, in a wild-card game Tuesday to earn the right to face Laguna in the first round.
Laguna celebrated Senior Day Wednesday: the Vista Murrieta game was the final home game of the season for the Breakers.
“Between the excitement of the playoffs and everyone wanting to play for our seniors at home, there was an extra special energy on the pool deck,” Laguna Coach Ethan Damato said. “The guys played great early on and when we brought guys in off the bench we seemed to not skip a beat.
“It was a great defensive effort as we pressed all game forcing turnovers and getting easy transition opportunities. The guys had a great time and ended another season being undefeated at home, our fourth season in a row with no home losses.”
The victory sends Orange Coast League champ Laguna (22-6) to a quarterfinal match at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Aliso Niguel (Sea View League No. 3) which defeated Royal (Coastal Canyon League No. 1), 11-2, in another first-round game. The win Wednesday was the second in the postseason for the Wolverines who defeated Montebello Schurr (Almont League No. 3), 12-11, in a division wild-card game on Tuesday.
The Laguna-Aliso Niguel winner advances to face either fourth-seeded Capistrano Valley (Sea View League champ) or Yorba Linda (North Hills League champ) in a division semifinal game next Wednesday at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatic Center in Irvine. The semifinal doubleheader starts at 3:30 p.m.
The Division 3 championship game is Nov. 22, also at the Woollett Center.
Laguna gained momentum for the postseason by finishing its regular season with two road games last week and defeated both Capo Valley, 17-12, and Santa Margarita (No. 9, CIF-SS Division 1), 8-6.
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Girls’ Volleyball
The Breakers launched postseason play Tuesday and scored a 25-18, 25-13, 25-9 sweep of visiting Pasadena Maranatha in a CIF Southern Section Division 2AA match at Dugger Gym.
The win was the 100th all-time for the Laguna program (100-35) in CIF-SS playoff action.
Junior setter Aspen Rocha had 12 kills, nine digs and 14 assists, junior opposite Jamie Robbins 11 kills, and senior setter Briana Boyd 19 assists for the Breakers.
Maranatha was the No. 3 team from the Olympic League. The Minutemen finished the year 14-11.
“We played consistent volleyball,” Laguna Coach Raul Papaleo said of Tuesday’s performance, which put the Breakers at 17-11 overall.
Laguna, champion of the Orange Coast League and the No. 3-seed in the tournament, advanced to a second-round match Thursday at North Hills League runner-up Esperanza. The score wasn’t available at press time.
The winner of the Laguna-Esperanza match moves on to Saturday’s quarterfinals to face the winner of the Thursday second-round match between Cerritos Valley Christian (Olympic League No. 2) and Pasadena Mayfield (Prep League No. 1).
The division semifinals are next Tuesday. The division championship match is 1 p.m. on Nov. 22 at Cerritos College.
Prior to starting postseason play, Laguna closed out its regular season No. 5 at Sage Hill, the top-ranked team in CIF-SS Division 3AA. The Lightning won the match, 25-23, 25-15, 25-15.
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Cross-Country
Laguna Beach High athletes will compete Saturday at the CIF Southern Section Cross-Country Championships divisional prelims meet at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut. Prelims heats start at 7:45 a.m. and run throughout the day.
The Laguna girls’ and boys’ teams enter the prelims as champions of the Orange Coast League.
The Laguna girls will run at 2:45 p.m. Heat 3 of Division 4 (Race 24). Teams in Heat 3 are: Laguna Beach, Atascadero, Lompoc Cabrillo, California Academy Math/Science, Crean Lutheran, Foothill Technology, Immaculate Heart, Marlborough, Marymount, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, San Dimas, San Marino, Templeton, Whitney and Yucca Valley.
The Laguna boys run at 3:31 p.m. in Heat 2 of Division 4 (Race 28). Teams in Heat 2 are: Laguna Beach, Atascadero, Barstow, Big Bear, California Academy Math/Science, Covina, Edgewood, JSerra, Nordhoff, Salesian, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Twentynine Palms, University Prep.
The CIF-SS Cross-Country Championship finals are Nov. 22, also at Mt. SAC.
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Boys’ Sand Volleyball
Laguna Beach had took five, two-man first-place finishes and one, four-man team title, at the Orange County High School Beach League individuals tournament. Tournament results for the Breakers:
Division 1: Jack Burgi/Reed Donenfeld def. teams from Mater Dei (25-17), Edison (25-14), Huntington Beach (forfeit). Division 2: Dane Olson/Cole Paxson def. Mater Dei (25-18), Newport Harbor (25-19), Los Alamitos (25-23). Division 3: Tyler Alter/Nick Rieckhoff def. Newport Harbor (25-23), Corona del Mar (15-12, called/darkness), Huntington Beach (15-9). Division 4: Adam Lythgoe/Pete Obradovich def. Marina (25-12), Newport Harbor (25-17), Los Alamitos (25-17). Division 5: Liam Christiansen/Tyler Jackson def. Corona del Mar (25-20, Tesoro (27-25). Four-man: Reed Donenfeld/Jack Burgi/Dane Olson/Cole Paxson def. Mater Dei (25-22), Newport Harbor (26-24).
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Signings
Fourteen Laguna Beach High senior athletes signed National Letter of Intents during a signing event held on campus Wednesday. The 14 players signing letters were: Eric Juliusson (men’s swimming, Purdue); Hunter Ashworth (men’s soccer, University of San Francisco); Evan Williams (men’s soccer, USF); Janie Crawford (women’s cross-country/track, Texas); Francie Holte (women’s volleyball, Brown); Summer Dvorak (women’s tennis, Vanderbilt); Sabrina Stillwell (women’s volleyball, Brown); Brighid Burnes (women’s water polo, Loyola Marymount); Daniela Lucidi (women’s water polo, Long Beach St.); Mackenzie Fischer (women’s water polo, Stanford); Taylor Julson (women’s water polo, Long Beach St.); Pierce Ashworth (men’s soccer, Stanford); Harrison Gregory (men’s soccer, Wake Forest); Jack Burgi (men’s volleyball, Princeton).
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Twitter: @MikeSciacca