First published in the Nov. 10 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
The La Cañada High School varsity girls’ tennis team was eliminated from the CIF-SS Division I playoffs after being edged by visiting Marlborough High of Los Angeles, 10-8, in a second-round matchup last Friday.
No. 1 singles Tsehay Driscoll earned a clean sweep by posting 6-0 victories, while No. 2 Jessica Simonian (6-2, 6-0) and No. 3 Lillian Chamras (6-1, 6-1) each won a pair of sets. In a tight match, it came down to the doubles performances but Marlborough stacked its six best players to win eight of the nine sets. The No. 2 team of Riley and Kaylee Thornburgh tallied the lone doubles win, 6-4.
The Spartans previously edged Martin Luther King High of Riverside, 10-8, in the first round of the playoffs. Driscoll swept 6-2, 6-0, 6-0, while No. 2 Simonian (6-2, 6-4) and No. 3 Chamras (6-0, 6-1) each produced a pair of wins. Meanwhile in doubles action, the No. 1 team of Allison Woo and Amanda Grabel (6-2), the No. 2 tandem of Riley and Kaylee Thornburgh (6-4), and the No. 3 duo of Kylie Hwang and Lauren Kim (7-6) each won a set.
La Cañada concluded the season as Rio Hondo League runners-up with a 6-2 record (9-3 overall) and will look to dethrone perennial league powerhouse San Marino next year. The Spartans will graduate Driscoll, a nationally ranked standout and Rio Hondo League singles champion, as well as seven additional seniors this academic year.
FLINTRIDGE PREP
The Wolves were ousted from the CIF-SS Division III playoffs after tying host La Salle College Preparatory, 9-9, but losing in total games, 76-66, in a first-round matchup last Thursday.
No. 1 singles Katharina Zirn (6-0, 6-0) and No. 2 Emily Hsiao (6-2, 6-4) each tallied a pair of wins for the Wolves. 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 defeated visiting Fullerton, 11-7, in a wildcard match last Tuesday.
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.