PALOS VERDES ESTATES — Corona del Mar and Palos Verdes high schools have the same mascot, the Sea King.
The two girls’ tennis programs vied for a considerable amount in trying to rule the courts Wednesday, namely a spot in the CIF Southern Section Open Division title match.
Top-seeded host Palos Verdes proved up to the challenge, blitzing No. 4-seeded CdM early and earning a 14-4 semifinal victory.
Palos Verdes (22-0) advanced to play No. 2-seeded Portola in the title match, to be held Friday at 5:15 p.m. at the University of Redlands.
CdM’s Madi Jackson, left, and Isabel Roytman high five after a score against Palos Verdes on Wednesday.
(James Carbone)
Corona del Mar (17-3) can take solace in knowing its season isn’t over. By advancing to the semifinals, CdM earned a spot in the CIF Southern California Regionals, which will be held beginning Nov. 22 at the Claremont Club.
“I thought we played well,” CdM coach Jamie Gresh said of his team’s performance Wednesday. “[Palos Verdes] is very good at all spots. They’re the No. 1 seed for a reason, they’re undefeated. My girls competed to the best of their ability, this team is just very deep, very loaded. Their singles are great, and then their doubles is all over the net, putting away volleys and overheads. It’s just a very strong team.”
Bay League champion Palos Verdes had topped CdM 10-8 in a nonleague match earlier this season, but Gresh said that score was misleading, as Palos Verdes had a 9-3 lead after two rounds before substituting out top players.
Palos Verdes started Wednesday’s match even stronger, taking a 6-0 lead after one round and clinching the match after two with an 11-1 advantage. Only CdM junior Polina Briggs, in the second round, was able to earn a set win at that point.
CdM’s Polina Briggs returns serve against Palos Verdes on Wednesday.
(James Carbone)
Danielle Nikmehr swept 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 for Palos Verdes in singles, while Tia Messerli won twice before being subbed out. The No. 1 doubles team of Stella Simpson-Morgan and Aileana McFerson also swept.
“[Last time] the matches were close, especially some of the doubles matches were really close,” Palos Verdes coach Wade Murphy said. “We didn’t take them lightly for sure; they’re very well-coached. We really put an emphasis on coming out and trying to put some scoreboard pressure on them.”
Emilie Lew and Julia Cross each beat singles substitutes in the final round for CdM, while the No. 1 doubles team of Isabel Roytman and Madi Jackson beat a doubles substitute.
CdM’s No. 2 doubles team of Sasha Briggs, right, and Giulia Fontana compete against Palos Verdes on Wednesday.
(James Carbone)
Roytman and Jackson lost their first two sets by close scores of 6-4.
“They’re obviously a really good team, and on paper they’re a lot better than us,” Roytman said. “I think when it was starting to get really close at the end, we had a lot of pressure built up on us. That probably affected how the last two games went.”
Still, Gresh echoed his players’ sentiments that making it to the Open Division semifinals was better than expected. The previous two years, Sunset League champion CdM had lost a round earlier, in the quarterfinals.
CdM’s Emilie Lew, left, high fives Polina Briggs during action against Palos Verdes on Wednesday.
(James Carbone)
CdM’s only three losses this season have come to the Open Division finalists, Palos Verdes and Portola.
Furthermore, Gresh said this year’s team has been drama-free.
“Then it’s just about tennis and having fun with it,” he said. “I think that’s a big component that sometimes gets lost, but I think having fun is one of the reasons you play high school tennis. No matter how good the team is, fun should be the No. 1 factor being on a team and competing for your school, competing for your team.”