Tullberg Tabs Textbooks Over Title

Julie Tullberg was three wins away from leaving the Ojai Tennis tournament with trophy in tow for the third year in a row when work interrupted her pleasure.

College mid-terms were in the offing and the San Diego State freshman decided that school was her first priority. Tullberg and partner Dorey Brandt were forced to withdraw after advancing to the quarterfinals in women’s intercollegiate doubles. They had to study. So ended a personal trophy run.

Tullberg had won the girls’ 18-and-under doubles crown in back-to-back years, in 1986 with Cindy Gurney, and last year with Brandt, her current partner at San Diego State.

The former Nordhoff High standout also competed in collegiate singles, winning her first matches, 6-0, 6-0, over Elizabeth Bosley of Cal Lutheran, and 6-3, 6-3, over Edna Olivarez of Cal State Los Angeles. Tullberg was knocked out in the semifinal-round of singles, losing, 6-3, 6-2, to defending champion Kristi Kern of Pacific.

Most of the other Ventura County entrants in the tournament suffered a similar fate. Kendra Harris and Nancine Hayden, both students at local high schools, teamed to win the first trophy of the tournament. It was also the last won by a county entry.

Harris, 14, a freshman from St. Bonaventure, and Hayden, 15, a sophomore from Nordhoff, won the girls’ 16-and-under doubles title. Harris and Hayden defeated Julie Williams and Pam Haskell of Yorba Linda, 6-0, 6-1, in a match that took just over a half-hour.

Two other county residents lost in the finals.

Francesca Heron, a former Oxnard High standout now playing for UC Santa Barbara, was defeated by Janice Lum of USC, 6-2, 6-3, in the women’s collegiate singles title match.

Neal Berryman, who attended Nordhoff High and now plays for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, advanced to the final of the men’s collegiate doubles with partner Mike Giusto. They defeated Mike Briggs and Trevor Kroneman of UC Irvine, 6-1, in the first set but lost the next two, 2-6, 2-6.