 | | | Dan Cardiff leads Dons to win. Photo Gint Federas | | | | | | A tennis ball whizzed back and forth over the net of one of the Campolindo tennis courts on April 17 as Campolindo Cougars' Tilden Oliver rallied against Acalanes Dons' Dan Cardiff at the rivals' second match of the 2014 season.
Undefeated Cardiff scored a final victory, adding to his string of consecutive wins this season. The Dons (14-4) won 8 out of 9 matches.
Acalanes coach Brent Bird has been with the team for three years, but he says this season is the best the Dons have had in about 25 years. Bird partially attributes his team's impressive record to his highest-performing players - senior Dan Cardiff, fresh-man Ryan Cardiff, and sophomore Isaiah Bird. He also stresses the importance of a team effort.
"Sometimes you look at the best guys and you think, 'Wow, they're all-stars,' but in this league what really wins are the lower guys," said Bird. "You could win your first four singles and then all the rest of your guys lose and you lose the match."
The Dons have a deep team and are in the running for championships in both DFAL and NCS play. "It's not going to be an easy path through DFALs, but it's certainly going to be a fun one," said Cardiff. "We'll have some fun out there, and potentially do some damage."
Campolindo's season, on the other hand, started out rocky after losing some of last year's standout players. Over the past six years the Cougars (4-7 in DFAL) have consistently held first or second in league, but this year the team consists of relatively young members with less experience.
"We're at a rebuilding phase," said Campolindo coach Petro Petreas. "The last two years in a row we've lost a lot of seniors. So we now have to adjust to being at the middle of the pack in DFAL play."
The setback has encouraged the Cougars to improve their skills, in the hope of rebounding to their top-tier position. Junior Oliver and seniors Bailey Wu and Dylan Brodsky have stepped in to lead the team.
"Even though our season doesn't show it, I think that all of our players have improved drastically," said team captain Wu. "Every individual stepped up and did everything they could this season."
The Miramonte Matadors also lost five standout players, but the Mats have managed to maintain a top spot in the DFAL. The defending 2012 and 2013 DFAL and NCS champions, have an overall record of 10-5.
According to coach Michael McCollom, juniors Peter Martin and Neil Weikert and sophomore Alex Huang have become prominent players this year. In doubles' play, the Mats are led by Kyle Rechnitz and Bryce Hummer.
As of press time, the Mats had lost only to top teams: twice to Acalanes, twice to dominant Dougherty Valley, and once to Tamalpais.
"All of those teams are among the top five teams in the area, so it's not an insult to lose to them," said McCollom. "It's hard to replace good players. You're left with kids who don't have as much experience in big moments, so you lose tight matches."
Nevertheless, the Mats remain hopeful for success in the upcoming DFAL and NCS tournaments, beginning in May.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA