Girls tennis: Can lightning strike Tars thrice

Steve Virgen

CLAREMONT - The Newport Harbor High girls tennis team is hoping the

third time is a charm as it prepares for today’s CIF Southern Section

Division II championship match against Troy at the Claremont Club at 1:30

p.m.

The past two years, the CIF final has not been too kind to the

Sailors. Last year, Newport lost in the Division III title match to Palm

Desert and in 1999, the Sailors fell, 10-8, to Peninsula in the Division

I final.

Now Newport will take on Freeway League champion Troy (13-0), and

Sailors Coach Fletcher Olson retrieved a simple mentality to mask the

obvious pressure situation.

“We have been taking one match at a time,” Olson said of the Sailors’

run to the Division II final. “We went into the playoffs focused. The

goal was to win league and then win CIF. They seem very focused on that

goal.”

The Sailors (15-3), the Sea View League champions, are also focused

because they basically have the same squad as last year, save for one

freshman, one junior and the return of Natalie Braverman, who has been

consistently scored sweeping victories at No. 1 singles for the Sailors

this season.

Megan Hawkins, who earned two victories at No. 2 singles in Newport’s

12-6 semifinal win over University Thursday, is one of four seniors who

remember the Sailors’ final match last year.

Kelly Nelson, another senior, will go to work in doubles, where she’ll

team up with junior Krista McIntosh. The Sailors’ No. 1 tandem is also competing in the CIF doubles tournament.

The senior duo of Carmen Khoury and Erika Buder has been meshing well

lately and the Sailors have been reaping the benefits.

Newport’s playoff run has come about because of the Sailors’ focus,

Olson said, and because of the competitive season.

“(The Sailors) played really great against Woodbridge,” Olson said.

“The Sea View League is pretty tough and that prepared us. And the

nonleague schedule is tough and that has prepared us for the postseason

and CIF (final) too.

The Warriors blew past Rowland, 18-0, in the first round before taking

out Corona, Mira Costa and Los Alamitos, respectively.

The Sailors took care of Hart, 17-1, in the first round and then

steamed past Walnut, Sunny Hills and University.