Newport Harbor Doubles Up, Beats San Marcos

The Newport Harbor girls’ tennis team advanced to the Southern Section Division I championship with an 11-7 victory Thursday over visiting Santa Barbara San Marcos.

“We will need a strong effort from our doubles teams,” Sailor Coach Charlie Bleiker said before the match. He got one as the team of junior Lindsay Olson and freshman Vanessa Godbey swept three sets to spearhead the victory.

Freshmen Katie Canright and Emily Barker had two victories and the senior pair of Genevieve Evarts and Kim Lewis scored one victory to give Newport Harbor a 6-3 edge in doubles.

Mara Colaizzi defeated all three opponents in singles.

Newport Harbor (21-1) will face the nation’s No. 1 team, Palos Verdes Peninsula, for the title at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Claremont Tennis Club. Bleiker is expected to shake up his roster in the hopes of cutting into the 17-1 margin of defeat the Sailors suffered against the Panthers earlier this season. Colaizzi and Sarah Hawkins, who are seeded No. 1 in Saturday’s regional individual doubles competition, are expected to be paired in the title match.