First published in the Nov. 3 print issue of the Pasadena Outlook.
The Maranatha High School varsity girls’ tennis team sent eight individuals (two singles and three doubles teams) to compete in the Olympic League prelims and finals at the Whittier Narrows Tennis Center last Tuesday and Wednesday.
No. 1-seeded singles player Stella Hsieh, the league’s MVP award winner, defeated the top player from Village Christian High of Sun Valley, 6-2, 6-0, in the championship match. Hsieh made swift work ofWhittier Christian High of La Habra, 8-0, and No. 4 Village Christian, 6-0, in the prelims on Tuesday.
The Minutemen secured not one but two individual titles as the No. 2-seeded doubles team of Kasey McCoy and Esmee Eaton defeated No. 5 Village Christian, 7-6, 6-1. The duo was also selected MVP, despite being tied with teammates Mia Huang and Mia Su at the end of league play. “League bylaws state that in the case of a tie for MVP, the league tournament will decide,” according to Maranatha head coach Arthur Hsieh. The tandem fought their way to the top, beating No. 7 Valley Christian High of Cerritos, 8-2, and No. 3 Valley Christian, 4-6, 6-2, 11-9, in prelims the day before.
No. 6 singles player, Natalie Arminak, lost to No. 4 Village Christian to finish fourth overall. She upset No. 3 Valley Christian, 8-5, but lost in the semifinals to Valley Christian, 6-0.
The No. 1-seeded doubles team of Huang and Su finished third overall after defeating No. 3 Village Christian, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3. The duo routed No. 8 Whittier Christian, 8-1, but lost in the semifinals to No. 5 Village Christian, 3-6, 7-5, 10-8, in prelim competition.
The No. 4-seeded tandem of Nelli Breuer and Marie Wolfrum was eliminated in the first round after losing to No. 5 Village Christian, 8-4.
Maranatha previously finished league as undefeated champions with a 14-4 victory at Heritage Christian High in Northridge. The Minutemen ended the regular season on an 11-match win streak while collecting their ninth league title and first since 2019.
Maranatha, which finished with a perfect 8-0 league record (12-3 overall), opened the CIF-SS Division IV playoffs by hosting the winner of a wildcard match on Wednesday; the match ended after the Pasadena Outlook’s press deadline and will be included in the next issue.
MAYFIELD SENIOR
Call it a three-peat for Mayfield Senior standout Samantha Frick, who collected her third consecutive Prep League singles MVP award after defeating Palos Verdes Chadwick’s Maddie Gottlieb, 6-2, in the title match last Wednesday.
Frick defeated Polytechnic’s Juliet Lord, 6-2, in the semifinals, and Flintridge Prep’s Katharina Zirn, 7-5, in the quarterfinals.
Singles player Allison Huang won her first-round match over Polytechnic’s Cristina Bogaard, 6-4, but lost in the quarterfinals to Chadwick’s Gottlieb, 6-0. She defeated Flintridge Prep’s Emily Hsiao, 6-0, for sixth place in the second-team all-league playoffs.
In doubles action, the tandem of Sarah Leiva and Rory Rago defeated Flintridge Prep’s Avery Hobey and Kayla Lee, 6-2, before losing to the eventual doubles champion, Westridge’s Ellie Leiter and Emma Tay, 6-4.
The duo of Brooke Aloe and Sheryl Cheng defeated Westridge’s Emerson Forester and Arden MacLaren, 6-3, before succumbing to the doubles runners-up, Poly’s Dylan Lam and Ava Teng, 7-5. Aloe and Cheng battled their teammates Leiva and Rago for third place, with the latter pair winning 6-4.
The Cubs concluded the regular season by finishing 3-1 over their last four league matches. Mayfield defeated Flintridge Prep, 11-7, Westridge School, 12-6, and Polytechnic, 13-5, but saw their bid for a perfect season come to a close after a loss to Palos Verdes Chadwick. The match ended in a 9-9 tie; however, the Cubs lost in total games. Individual statistics were not reported to the Pasadena Outlook.
League champion Mayfield Senior (9-1 in league, 12-1 overall) opened the CIF-SS Division II playoffs by hosting Hart High of Newhall on Wednesday; the match ended after the Pasadena Outlook’s press deadline and will be included in the next issue.
WESTRIDGE
Westridge School’s doubles team of Ellie Leiter and Emma Tay won the Prep League doubles tournament and earned the MVP hardware after sweeping Poly’s Dylan Lam and Ava Teng, 6-0, in the championship match last Wednesday.
The duo defeated Mayfield Senior’s Sarah Leiva and Rory Rago, 6-4, in the semifinals, and Palos Verdes Chadwick’s Hannah Choi and Storey Kuo, 6-2, in the second round after having a bye in the first round.
Westridge’s tandem of Emerson Forester and Arden MacLaren defeated Providence High of Burbank’s Sophia Fayad and Bethany Nazareno, 6-1, in the first round, but were eliminated by Mayfield Senior’s Brooke Aloe and Sheryl Cheng, 6-3. Forester and MacLaren took sixth place and second-team All-League honors after defeating Flintridge Prep’s Rachel DeMerit and Sophie Haddad, 7-5.
In singles action, Jennifer Liu, who had a bye in the first round, defeated Flintridge Prep’s Emily Hsiao, 6-2, but was eliminated by Chadwick’s Maddie Gottlieb, 6-0. She claimed fourth overall after losing to Poly’s Juliet Lord, 7-5.
Westridge’s Cindy Cui also competed but was ousted from the league tournament after losing to Flintridge Prep’s Katharina Zirn, 7-5, in the first round.
Westridge finished the regular season with a league victory over visiting Chadwick, 12-6, last Tuesday. Doubles were perfect, as the No. 1 team of Leiter and Tay (6-3, 6-1, 6-2), the No. 2 tandem of MacLaren and Forester (6-2, 6-1, 6-1), and the No. 3 duo of Cui and Charlene Weng (6-2, 6-4, 6-2) each swept. Meanwhile, No. 1 singles Liu won a pair of sets, 6-1, 7-6, and No. 2 Audrey Anguiano added one win, 6-2.
The Tigers lost a league match at Mayfield Senior, 12-6, on Oct. 21; however individual statistics were not reported to the Pasadena Outlook.
Westridge defeated visiting Polytechnic, 11-7, as the doubles teams were nearly perfect. The No. 1 tandem of Leiter and Tay (6-0, 6-0, 6-0) and the No. 2 duo of Forester and MacLaren (6-0, 6-4, 6-0) each swept, while the No. 3 team of Sofie Wong and Weng added a pair of 6-0 victories. Meanwhile, No. 2 singles Cui won two sets, 6-1, 6-3, and No. 1 Liu added a 6-0 win.
The Tigers previously earned a clean sweep over visiting Providence, 18-0. No. 1 singles Liu tallied a pair of 6-0 victories before alternating with Whitley Lowery, who added a 6-1 win. No. 2 Chloe Wolas (6-0, 6-2, 6-0) and No. 3 Anguiano (6-0, 6-0, 6-2) each swept. Meanwhile in doubles action, the No. 1 team of Leiter and Tay (6-0, 6-0, 6-1), the No. 2 tandem of MacLaren and Wong (6-0, 6-2, 6-0), and the No. 3 duo of Cui and Weng (6-0, 6-0, 6-3) each swept.
Westridge, which finished fourth in league with a 5-5 record (7-5 overall), opened the CIF-SS Division II playoffs at Los Alamitos on Wednesday; the match ended after the Pasadena Outlook’s press deadline and will be included in the next issue.
FLINTRIDGE PREP
The Wolves sent pair of singles and doubles teams to compete in the Prep League tournament last Wednesday.
Singles Katharina Zirn lost to the eventual league champion, Mayfield Senior’s Samantha Frick, 6-0, in the second round, after defeating Westridge’s Cindy Cui, 7-5, in the first round. She defeated Palos Verdes Chadwick’s Ella Goedemans, 6-1, to finish fifth in the second-team all-league playoffs.
Flintridge Prep’s Emily Hsiao lost to Westridge’s Jennifer Liu, 6-2, in the second round after sweeping Providence High of Burbank’s Emma Fernandez, 6-0, in the first round. She lost her second-team playoff match against Mayfield Senior’s Allison Huang, 6-0.
Flintridge Prep’s doubles team of Avery Hobey and Kayla Lee lost to Mayfield Senior’s Sarah Leiva and Rory Rago, 6-2, in the second round after defeating Providence’s Bailey Barrows and Janika Mamaril, 6-3, in the first round. Hobey and Kayla Lee finished fifth overall after defeating Chadwick’s Hannah Choi and Storey Kuo, 6-4, in the second-team playoffs. Meanwhile, the tandem of Rachel DeMerit and Sophie Haddad lost their second-round matchup against Polytechnic’s Dylan Lam and Ava Teng, 7-6, before losing to Westridge’s Emerson Forester and Arden MacLaren, 7-5, in the second-team playoffs.
Flintridge Prep lost its league and regular-season finale at Mayfield Senior, 11-7, last Tuesday. No. 2 singles Zirn (6-3, 6-0) and No. 3 Chloe Liao (6-1, 6-1) each posted a pair of victories, while No. 1 Hsiao picked up a 6-0 win. The No. 2 doubles team of DeMerit and Haddad won a pair of sets, 6-2, 6-3, while the No. 1 duo of Sienna Beltz and Minda Lai added a 6-3 win.
The Wolves defeated host Providence High in Burbank, 15-3, in a league match on Oct. 21, as the singles players were spotless. No. 1 singles Zirn, No. 2 Hsiao and No. 3 Beltz never lost a game and won all nine sets by scores of 6-0. The No. 1 doubles team of DeMerit and Haddad never lost a game, sweeping by scores of 6-0. The No. 3 tandem of Vanessa Hsu and Kate Snaer won a pair of sets, 6-0, 6-0, while the No. 2 duo of Nicole Lee and Miranda Thomson added one win, 6-4.
Flintridge Prep dominated a nonleague game at De Toledo High in West Hills, 17-1, on Oct. 20, as the doubles teams dominated the court. The No. 2 team of Nicole Lee and Beltz, and the No. 3 tandem of Hsu and Kayla Lee each won their sets by scores of 6-0, 6-1, 6-3. The No. 1 team of DeMerit and Haddad won a pair of sets, 6-0, 6-0, before alternating with Snaer and Vy Pham, who won their lone set 6-1. No. 2 singles Hsiao (6-0, 6-0, 6-0) and No. 3 Liao (6-0, 6-1, 6-1) each swept, while No. 1 Zirn won a pair of sets by 6-0 scores.
The Wolves previously beat visiting Chadwick, 11-7. No. 1 singles Zirn (7-6, 6-1) and No. 2 Hsiao (6-3, 6-0) each won a pair of sets, while Liao added a 6-4 victory. The No. 1 doubles team of DeMerit and Haddad (6-0, 6-3), the No. 2 tandem of Hobey and Kayla Lee (6-2, 6-1), and the No. 3 duo of Thomson and Beltz (6-3, 6-4) each won a pair of sets.
Flintridge Prep, which finished third in league with a 7-3 record (11-5 overall), opened the CIF-SS Division III playoffs by hosting Fullerton in a wildcard match on Tuesday; the contest ended after the Pasadena Outlook’s press deadline and will be included in the next issue.
LA SALLE
The Lancers sent individuals to compete in the Del Rey League prelims and finals last week.
Sydney Sasaki won the singles tournament while teammate Audrey Turner finished third. Meanwhile in doubles action, Daniella Romero and Andrea Valandia won the doubles tournament, and Cameron Turner and Isabelle Core lost in the semifinals.
La Salle routed visiting St. Monica Catholic High of Santa Monica, 16-2, in their league and regular-season finale on Oct. 20. No. 1 singles Valandia (6-4, 6-2, 6-1) and No. 3 Cayenne Lee (6-4, 6-0, 6-0) each swept, while No. 2 Caroline Miller added a pair of 6-0 victories.
The No. 1 doubles team of Audrey Turner and Core (6-4, 6-3, 6-4), and the No 2 tandem of Sasaki and Zoey Yang (6-1, 6-1, 6-0) each swept, while the No. 3 duo of Cameron Turner and Romero added a pair of 6-0 victories.
The Lancers previously defeated host St. Joseph High in Lakewood, 12-6.
The No. 2 doubles team of Core and Emma Liang (6-1, 6-1, 6-2) and the No. 3 tandem of Valandia and Romero (6-1, 6-2, 6-0) each swept, while the No. 1 duo of Phoebe Ding and Reagan Bean added a 6-4 win. No. 2 singles Lee was spotless, registering 6-0 victories, while No. 2 Sasaki added a pair of 6-0 victories.
Del Rey League champion La Salle, which finished with a spotless 10-0 league record (12-1 overall), opened the CIF-SS Division III playoffs by hosting the winner of a wildcard match on Wednesday; the contest ended after the Pasadena Outlook’s press deadline and will be included in the next issue.
POLYTECHNIC
The Panthers sent a pair of singles and doubles teams to compete in the Prep League tournament last Wednesday.
The doubles team of Dylan Lam and Ava Teng finished as runners-up after falling to Westridge’s Ellie Leiter and Emma Tay, 6-0, in the championship match. The duo previously defeated Mayfield Senior’s Brooke Aloe and Sheryl Cheng, 7-5, in the semifinals, and Flintridge Prep’s Rachel DeMerit and Sophie Haddad, 7-6, in the second round.
The tandem of Julia Lai and Anya Patel lost their first-round matchup against Palos Verdes Chadwick’s Hannah Choi and Storey Kuo, 7-5.
Meanwhile in singles action, Poly’s Juliet Lord lost to eventual champion Mayfield Senior’s Samantha Frick, 6-0, in the semifinals, but finished third overall after defeating Westridge’s Jennifer Liu, 7-5. Lord previously beat Chadwick’s Ella Goedemans, 6-2, in the second round and Providence High of Burbank’s Roxana Ebrahimi, 6-0, in the first round.
Poly’s Cristina Bogaard was ousted in the first round after losing to Mayfield Senior’s Allison Huang, 6-4.
The Panthers won their league and regular-season finale against visiting Providence High of Burbank, 15-3, last Tuesday. Poly previously lost a pair of league matches to Westridge School, 11-7, and Mayfield Senior, 13-5; individual statistics were not reported to the Pasadena Outlook.
Poly, which finished fifth in league with a 1-6 record (3-7-1 overall).
FLINTRIDGE SACRED HEART
The Tologs sent Grace Garrity, Kate Mann, Nathalie Genyk, Ashley Hurjak, Mia Wertheimer and Madison Wu to compete in the Mission League prelims on Oct. 25; individual results were not reported to the Pasadena Outlook.
The Tologs previously concluded the regular season by routing visiting Chaminade High of West Hills, 16-2, in a league match, as the singles players dominated the court. No. 1 singles Nathalie Genyk (6-0, 6-0, 6-0), No. 2 Ashley Hurjak (6-0, 6-2, 6-1) and No. 3 Wu (6-0, 6-1, 6-0) each swept. The No. 1 doubles team of Meghan Garrity and Kate Mann swept, 6-1, 6-0, 6-4, while the No. 3 tandem of Sophia Durand and Emma Oakland tallied a pair of wins, 6-1, 6-0. The No. 2 duo of Mia Wertheimer and Grace Garrity won a set, 6-1, before the latter rotated with Amelia Koch. The new pair of Wertheimer and Koch won their last set, 6-2.
Flintridge Sacred Heart finished fourth in league with a 2-6 record (3-10 overall).
