CdM routs Sage Hill
Eyes were on Corona del Mar High freshman girls’ tennis player Roxanne Mackenzie on Wednesday afternoon, as she played on the No. 1 singles court at The Tennis Club.
Of the three freshmen on varsity for CdM, Mackenzie has not gotten as much playing time as teammates Bella McKinney and Shaya Northrup. With CdM’s stacked singles lineup featuring Danielle Willson, Jasie Dunk and Siena Sharf, she knows why.
“I’m definitely more of a singles player,” Mackenzie said. “I know Bella and Shaya are really good doubles players.”
Still, “Roxy” got her time to shine late in the Sea Kings’ nonleague match against Sage Hill. CdM Coach Jamie Gresh substituted her in for the third round, and she rallied for a 6-4 victory over Sage Hill sophomore Maya Byrd.
“I had a slow start,” Mackenzie said. “I didn’t do enough jump ropes. That’s my excuse, not enough jump ropes. But she was a good player. I definitely had to stay aggressive.”
The Sea Kings were able to substitute liberally in the third round because they were in control of the match. They easily beat the Lightning, 17-1.
Other substitutes also got wins. Juniors Annelise Bui and Kayden Fogarty earned a 6-2 doubles victory, and junior Izzy Dajee subbed in for a 6-0 win with Camellia Edalat.
“I think it’s nice that he plays all of us,” Mackenzie said. “It feels like we’re all contributing to winning, which is really nice. When we’re supporting, it’s nice to have really good players on our team, so we can kind of take away from how they play in their matches. When I watch them, it helps me with my game.”
Added Fogarty: “We’re a strong team. We have a good community, as a whole.”
Corona del Mar (9-1), ranked No. 3 in CIF Southern Section Division 1, definitely has a deep team this year. Sage Hill (7-2) isn’t exactly a slouch as the No. 3-ranked team in Division 2, yet the Sea Kings nearly posted an 18-0 score. Sage’s Nicole Condas and Michele Chen were able to stop the shutout, earning a 6-1 victory over two more CdM substitutes in the final round.
Dunk and Sharf each swept their three singles sets for CdM, while Willson won twice before she was subbed out for Mackenzie.
In doubles, the CdM teams of Edalat and Erica Chen, the sister combination of Paige and Brooke Kenerson, as well as Emily Freyman and McKinney, each won twice. Freyman and McKinney saved two set points in their 7-6 (7-3) win over Sage Hill’s Isabella Deckey and Connie Yu in the second round.
Gresh, whose team got Brooke Kenerson back from a knee injury this week, said it was a fun match to play against Sage Hill.
“The girls all know each other, because they either went to middle school or just grew up playing at the local tennis clubs around here,” Gresh said. “At the end of some of the matches, instead of handshakes, a few of the girls were hugging each other because they’ve grown up together. It’s a nice match, it’s close by and obviously Sage Hill has a good team.”
Sage Hill, coming off a big win over Academy League rival St. Margaret’s on Tuesday, also feels pleased with the way its season is going. Sophomore Kayla Kiani, a No. 1 singles player who became eligible on Saturday, pushed the Sea Kings the most in singles. She fell to Willson, 6-3, and to Sharf, 6-4.
Lightning Coach A.G. Longoria said his squad also hopes that freshman Michelle Hung (ankle) will return soon. Prior to her injury, Hung had the best record on the team in singles and doubles.
“We’re honored to play [CdM], and I can see why they’re No. 1 in Orange County,” Longoria said. “It was a good experience for us. I thought we played pretty well. I thought we could have won a couple more, but still, for our girls to see a championship team that’s well-coached, has good talent and has a great tradition, it was good. It prepares us for the playoffs. I don’t think there’s going to be anybody in the Division 2 playoffs that’s as strong as that. That’s always been my philosophy, we play the best that we can in the regular season so that we can be successful in the playoffs.”
Like the Sea Kings, the Lightning are the favorites to win their league, with a 4-0 record so far. Longoria also is looking toward a home match Oct. 19 against Laguna Beach, which is ranked No. 5 in Division 2.
“Our mantra was to not lose to anybody that’s a D2 team the rest of the season,” Longoria said. “That’s going to be pretty hard to do, but that’s our goal.”
