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Girls tennis: Sea Kings easily handle another highly regarded

opponent

Richard Dunn

IRVINE - It wasn’t long ago when Corona del Mar High’s girls tennis

team played Woodbridge for blood.

Bitter Sea View League rivals for most of the 1990s, the Sea Kings and

Warriors battled for league and Orange County supremacy, it seemed, every

autumn.

And, even though they’re in different leagues for the second year in a

row, Thursday’s nonleague match at Woodbridge was expected to be won late

in the final round by the team with the last racket standing.

There was no such drama and the timeworn battlegrounds of yesteryear

merely served as a chapter in history.

Ranked No. 1 in Orange County, Corona del Mar pounded No. 3

Woodbridge, 14-4.

The Warriors (2-1), who defeated top-10 teams University and Laguna

Beach earlier, were missing their best player, senior Susanna Lingman

(recruiting trip to Georgia Tech).

During the summer, the Warriors lost another top player, Evie Soriano,

who transferred to Florida.

“We’re missing two players, too,” said Corona del Mar Coach Andy

Stewart, referring to standouts Kim Singer (out of the lineup at least

two weeks with an injured shoulder) and Brittany Reitz (ineligible until

Oct. 16).

“But we’re so deep, we can get away with (missing players).”

Sophomore sensation Anne Yelsey once again led the Sea Kings’ attack,

sweeping at No. 1 singles and dropping only two games, both to Elizabeth

Exon. Yelsey is 6-0 in sets and 36-3 in games this season.

“This was a good win for us,” Stewart said. “Last year, we won against

Woodbridge, 9-9, on games. Anne beat Lingman in a tie-breaker to win it,

then we snuck it out on games. So, now, we’ve beaten Mater Dei and

Woodbridge. It’s my first 2-0 start.”

The Sea Kings, relegated to CIF Southern Section Division IV

competition in the postseason this year following a new section rule that

prohibits move-ups, will continue their constant pace of playing

traditionally strong schools in the nonleague campaign.

Today, they travel to Santa Barbara, then Monday host Villa Park,

Tuesday square off against Peninsula on the road and Thursday play

Capistrano Valley.

“Division II and IV are tough this year,” said Woodbridge Coach Rick

Barth, whose Warriors play in Division II with two-time defending

champion Mater Dei, University, Villa Park, Beverly Hills and Troy, last

year’s Division II runner-up to Mater Dei.

“Corona del Mar should have no problem (winning) Division IV this

year. Harvard-Westlake is very good in Division IV, and San Marino might

have two really good singles players. But in doubles San Marino couldn’t

compete with (CdM) ... in Division IV, if (the Sea Kings) don’t win it, I

would be shocked.”

Along with Yelsey’s effort, Leslie Damion and Brittany Holland won two

of three singles sets for CdM, which led after the first round, 6-0.

“I’ve been working on my game a lot,” said Yelsey, whose singles

record was 35-4 last year. “Fortunately my coach, Phil Dent, is back (in

town) and he can work with me. Even hitting with him once, I learn so

much.”

In doubles, Corona del Mar’s No. 1 team of senior Kristin Griffith and

freshman Juliette Mutzke swept, while the No. 2 team of Laura Claster and

Katie Tenerelli also swept. Sara Bryan and Brittany Minna won one set at

No. 3.

Stewart said once he found out that Lingman wasn’t playing, he made

his lineup almost identical to the one he used Tuesday against Mater Dei

in the season lid-lifter, also a 14-4 CdM win.

“It changes your lineup (without Lingman),” said Barth, also a 28-year

teacher at Anderson School in Newport Beach.

“I’ve been watching (CdM and Woodbridge) for years,” Barth said.

“There have been some great rivalries. Also in boys. But times have

changed, I guess. At least for us.”

NONLEAGUECorona del Mar 14, Woodbridge 4Singles - Yelsey (CdM) def.

Exon, 6-2, def. Besharati, 6-0, def. Thompson, 6-0; Damion (CdM) lost

1-6, won 6-2, 6-1; Holland (CdM) lost 3-6, won 6-3, 6-2.Doubles -

Griffith-Mutzke (CdM) def. Rye-Roth, 6-2, def. Fazeli-Hustedt, 6-4, def.

Litmanovich-Spitz, 6-3; Claster-Tenerelli (CdM) won 6-3, 6-1, 6-4;

Bryan-Minna (CdM) lost 5-7, 2-6, won 6-0.

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