 | | | Aleksandra Singer Photos Gint Federas
| | | | | | The high school girls' tennis season is in full swing. After playing a few warm-up matches against other DFAL opponents, the Lamorinda rivalry action started on Sept. 19 with Acalanes (3-0) hosting Campolindo (2-2). In the first of two meetings against Campo this season, Acalanes took home a 6-3 victory.
Acalanes has seen a big change in its coaching staff this year. Instead of one head coach, the team now has four novice coaches with USTA recreational tennis backgrounds. They have already seen early success and are excited to see how the rest of the season unfolds.
"We believe that the Acalanes girls' tennis team will be extremely competitive," coach John Vocke said. "The girls are enthusiastic and have come together as a team."
The Dons return their top four players and add two more big contributors creating depth in their line-up. "We also have a number of seniors who have returned and are providing leadership to our younger players," Vocke explained.
In the Thursday match-up, the Dons swept all the singles matches and Campo took home all the doubles.
Acalanes' top four singles players were unstoppable, dropping just three games out of 48. Conversely, Campo dominated in the doubles having no trouble dispatching their opponents in straight sets.
The no. 5 singles match was the one to watch. Acalanes sophomore Aleksandra Singer and Campo's Sofia Marino battled heat and fatigue to play out a competitive match in a 10-point super tie-breaker. Singer came out on top winning 6-4, 1-6, 10-8.
In the no. 6 spot, Acalanes freshman Skylar Jeveli had a tough time defeating Campo's Emma McDonell. It was a hard-fought match ending with a 6-3, 6-3 win for Jeveli.
"If we could have squeezed out our line 5 and 6 singles, we could have won the match," Campo assistant coach Sunun Faulkner added, "Our goal is to beat them when we play them again."
As DFAL champions in previous years, Campo now finds itself in a rebuilding year with a challenging season ahead. The team lost 13 players from a 17 player roster in 2012.
Head coach Steve Robinson is both optimistic and realistic about his young team. "Our new players are very enthusiastic and working hard every day to improve their tennis skills," he explained, "We are hoping for a 3rd place finish in the conference."
Robinson predicted Miramonte and Dougherty Valley to be the top two teams in the league.
Miramonte head coach Michael McCollom agrees that Dougherty Valley will be a top contender for the title. "Dougherty Valley is the team to beat this year," he said. As DFAL champion for 12 of the last 14 years, it will be a challenge for the Mats to earn the title this season.
Despite their one loss to Dougherty Valley, the Lady Mats are off to a strong start. They are 2-1 in DFAL and 7-2 overall. They won the James Logan tournament, beating top teams from other leagues.
McCollom feels he has a deep team this year returning many top players including four players from last year's singles starting line-up and adding four significant freshmen.
"There is a new group of dynamics every year even when you return a lot of players. Peer leadership is an enormous part of your success," he explained.
See Acalanes and Miramonte in action tomorrow at 3:30 at Acalanes. Campo will travel to Orinda to face the Lady Mats on Oct. 1.
Results of Acalanes/Campo match, Sept. 19
SINGLES
1. von Ebbe (ACA) d. Ross 6-0, 6-0
2. Heidenreich (ACA) d. Leserman 6-0, 6-0
3. Karagocev (ACA) d. Moiceanu 6-0, 6-1
4. Van Pell (ACA) d. Price 6-1, 6-1
5. Singer (ACA) d. Marino 6-4, 1-6, 10-8
6. Jeveli (ACA) d. McDonell 6-3, 6-3
DOUBLES
1. Brewer / Kallerud (CAM) d. Kwok/ Bittner 6-0, 6-1
2. Finney / Zhong (CAM) d. Ladrech / Harrington 6-2, 7-5
3. Roberts / Warner (CAM) Yang / Ho 6-0, 6-0
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA