First published in the Nov. 17 print issue of the Pasadena Outlook.
The Maranatha High School varsity girls’ tennis team saw its season end after being ousted from the CIF-SS Division IV playoffs with a 12-6 loss at Mark Keppel High in Alhambra in the semifinals last Thursday.
Despite finishing short of a CIF title, the Minutemen had a terrific season. It was Maranatha’s fifth semifinal appearance in the last 10 years and the first in Division IV. The Minutemen also claimed their eighth Olympic League title in the last 10 years with a spotless 8-0 record (15-4 overall).
Maranatha edged host Paloma Valley High of Menifee, winning in games 82-80 (after tying 9-9 in sets won) in a quarterfinal match last Monday. No. 1 singles player Stella Hsieh swept 6-1, 6-0, 6-3, while the No. 1 doubles team of Kasey McCoy and Esmee Eaton added a pair of wins, 6-4, 6-1. No. 2 singles player Natalie Arminak (6-3), the No. 2 tandem of Mia Huang and Mia Su (6-3), the No. 3 duo of Nelli Breuer and Marie Wolfrum (6-3), and No. 3 singles Audrey Loh (7-5) each won a set.
The Minutemen won their second-round match over visiting Redlands East Valley, 11-7, on Nov. 4, as No. 1 singles Hsieh earned a clean sweep with a trio of 6-0 victories. The No. 1 doubles team of McCoy and Eaton (6-0, 6-3), the No. 3 tandem of Breuer and Wolfrum (6-3, 6-1), and the No. 2 duo of Huang and Su (7-5, 7-5) each added a pair of wins, while No. 3 Loh (6-0) and No. 2 Arminak (6-2) each tallied one victory.
Maranatha previously opened the CIF playoffs by defeating visiting Quartz Hill, 11-7, in a first-round matchup.
No. 1 singles Hsieh swept, 6-0, 6-0, 6-1, No. 2 Arminak added a pair of wins, 6-2, 6-0, and No. 3 Loh won a set, 6-1.
The No. 1 doubles team of McCoy and Eaton (6-0, 7-5) and the No. 3 tandem of Breuer and Wolfrum (7-5, 7-5) each won a pair of sets, while the No. 2 duo of Huang and Su added a 6-4 win.
Hsieh and the doubles team of McCoy and Eaton will represent the Minutemen in the upcoming CIF-SS individuals sectionals, which begin on Monday, Nov. 21.
LA SALLE
The Lancers were ousted from the CIF-SS Division III playoffs after losing a quarterfinal match at Northwood High in Irvine, 15-3, last Wednesday.
No. 1 singles player Sydney Sasaki won a pair of sets, 6-1, 6-0, while the No. 3 doubles team of Andrea Valandia and Daniella Romero won a set, 6-1.
La Salle narrowly defeated host Rowland, 10-8, in a second-round match on Nov. 4. No. 1 singles player Sasaki (6-0, 6-0, 6-0), No. 2 Cayenne Lee (6-3, 6-0, 7-5) and No. 3 Audrey Turner (6-1, 6-3, 6-1) each swept, while the No. 3 team of Valandia and Romero added a crucial 7-5 victory.
The Lancers previously opened the first round of the postseason by edging visiting Flintridge Prep, 76-66 on games (after tying 9-9 in sets won). No. 1 singles Sasaki earned a clean sweep with three 6-0 victories, while the No. 3 doubles team of Valandia and Romero also swept, 6-4, 6-1, 6-1. No. 2 singles Lee (6-1), No. 3 singles Audrey Turner (6-2), and the No. 2 tandem of Cameron Turner and Isabelle Core (6-2) each tallied one set win.
La Salle, which finished the campaign as Del Rey League champions with a spotless 10-0 record (14-2 overall), will look to defend its title and return to the postseason next year.
MAYFIELD SENIOR
The Cubs were eliminated from the CIF-SS Division II playoffs after narrowly losing a second-round match at Valencia, 10-8.
No. 1 singles player Samantha Frick swept 6-0, 6-1, 6-0, while No. 2 Allison Huang tallied a pair of wins, 6-2, 6-0. The No. 1 doubles team of Aurora Rago and Sarah Leiva (6-3), the No. 2 tandem of Sheryl Cheng and Abigail Beegle (6-0), and the No. 3 duo of Brooke Aloe and Grace Nguyen (6-1) each added one win.
Mayfield Senior previously defeated visiting Hart High of Newhall, 11-7, in a first-round matchup on Nov. 3. No. 1 singles Frick earned a clean sweep with three 6-0 victories, while the No. 2 doubles team of Cheng and Beegle also swept, 6-0, 6-4, 6-1.
No. 2 singles Huang added a pair of 6-1 wins, the No. 3 tandem of Aloe and Nguyen tallied 7- and 6-1 victories, and the No. 1 duo of Rago and Leiva posted a 6-1 win.
The Cubs finished the campaign as Prep League champions with a 9-1 record (13-2 overall) and will look to return to the postseason next year.
FLINTRIDGE PREP
The Wolves were ousted from the CIF-SS Division III playoffs after losing at La Salle College Preparatory, 76-66 in games won (after tying 9-9 in sets won).
No. 1 singles player Katharina Zirn (6-0, 6-0) and No. 2 Emily Hsiao (6-2, 6-4) each tallied a pair of wins. Meanwhile in doubles action, the No. 1 team of Rachel DeMerit and Sophie Haddad (6-2, 6-4) and the No. 2 tandem of Avery Hobey and Kayla Lee (7-6, 6-0) each produced a pair of wins, while the No. 3 duo of Vanessa Hsu and Miranda Thomson added a 6-4 victory.
Flintridge Prep previously dominated visiting Fullerton, 11-7, in a wildcard match. Zirn swept easily, 6-0, 6-0, 6-1, while No. 2 Chloe Liao won a pair of sets by 6-0 scores. No. 2 Hsiao won 6-0 before rotating with Nicole Lee, who added a 6-4 win. Meanwhile in doubles action, the No. 1 team of DeMerit and Haddad picked up a pair of wins, 6-0, 6-2, while the No. 2 duo of Hobey and Sienna Beltz (6-4) and the No. 3 tandem of Hsu and Thomson (6-4) each won a set.
The Wolves (12-6 overall) concluded the season tied as Prep League runners-up with Palos Verdes Chadwick as each posted a 7-3 record.
WESTRIDGE
The Tigers saw their season end after losing at Los Alamitos, 17-1, in the first round of the CIF-SS Division II playoffs on Nov. 2. Individual statistics were not reported to the Pasadena Outlook.
Westridge finished the campaign fourth in the Prep League standings with a 5-5 record (7-6 overall) and will look to return to the postseason next year.
