Eagles finish strong
Estancia High junior girls’ tennis player Lauren Weisser brought S’mores-flavored cupcakes to Tuesday’s Battle for the Bell match against rival Costa Mesa.
Estancia senior co-captain Kinley Ohland brought the bagels.
Three of them, as a matter of fact.
Ohland swept in singles, 6-0, 6-0, 6-0, as the Eagles defeated the Mustangs, 12-6, on the Estancia courts.
Estancia (10-4, 4-1 in league) finishes the first round of Orange Coast League play alone in second place, only behind defending league champion Laguna Beach. Costa Mesa (8-5, 2-3), also vastly improved, sits in fourth place.
“The girls have put in a lot of hard work,” said Estancia Coach Kendra Fisher, in her first year in charge of her alma mater. “I think staying positive, staying confident has really helped us. I’m excited for the rest of the season, for sure.”
Senior co-captain Eden Steel and junior Karina Catalano won twice in singles for the Eagles, as did the No. 1 doubles team of senior Julie Makley and junior Delani Guyot. But the visiting Mustangs made sure Estancia would have to earn the victory.
The match was tied, 3-3, after the first round as Mesa earned a pair of tiebreaker victories. First, Mustangs senior Kris Tianna Araracap outlasted Steel, 7-6 (7-4), at No. 2 singles. Then, Costa Mesa seniors Caitlin Wase and Sylvia Catania topped Makley and Guyot, 7-6 (7-1), at No. 1 doubles.
“Coming out of the first round, when it was 3-3, I was like, ‘This is a nail-biter,’” Fisher said. “I think when it was 3-3, that’s when the girls all kind of looked at each other and were like, ‘OK, it’s on’ ... I could tell that they were more pumped than they’ve been in a while ... They were just pumped and it showed on the court.”
Estancia got stronger, winning the second round, 4-2, and the third round, 5-1. Meg Tuxford won twice at No. 3 doubles, with partners Weisser and Hannah Swift.
Ohland, who has been playing at No. 1 singles for Estancia since she was a freshman, has definitely noticed a change this year. Estancia scored an 11-7 league win over Calvary Chapel on Sept. 22, and Ohland said it was the first time in her career that Estancia had won the battle of the Eagles. Last year, Calvary Chapel finished second in the league, a spot ahead of Estancia.
“We’ve been playing really well,” Ohland said. “[Fisher’s] positive energy has really rubbed off on us, and I think that’s really helped us get more wins. The overall energy is so much higher.”
Costa Mesa, in Ricker’s first season at the helm, also has been coming along. Wase and Catania were a positive on Tuesday, as they swept at No. 1 doubles, 7-6, 6-3, 6-2. Ricker said he just put the two seniors together last week.
Araracap earned the Mustangs’ only two singles wins, while the No. 2 doubles pairing of senior Dilara Ozonur and junior Crystal Henriquez won once.
Costa Mesa’s eight wins represent five more than the Mustangs earned all last season, when they finished 3-10. Ricker said his players believe that they can also beat Calvary Chapel in the second league meeting, which is Tuesday at Costa Mesa Tennis Center. Calvary won the first, 10-8.
“They’re learning a lot of new things, and they’re open-minded about everything,” Ricker said. “They’re keeping the ball in play, and we’re winning matches. I’m proud of the way they fought today ... Araracap is having a great season.”
Estancia and Costa Mesa will play again in the league finale Oct. 22 on the Mustangs’ courts.
