CLAREMONT – Lauren Candia‘s nerves set in about an hour before she took the court as she sat on the bleachers and watched the Division 1 final match on The Claremont Club’s center court.
Players for University and Peninsula of Rolling Hills Estates were smacking the ball back and forth with aggressive pace. Candia, a Canyon senior, felt the weight of the moment.
By the time Candia and her doubles teammate, Justine Phillips, took the court, they were both spooked.
“I was so nervous,” Candia said. “I was just hitting everything all over the place.”
The feelings were matched by the rest of the team in its first CIF-Southern Section final appearance. The Comanches were even or led in four of six sets in the first round against San Marino but went on to win just one set.
It was a hole Canyon could not climb out of as it fell, 11-7, to the Titans in the Division 2 championship. While Canyon entered with the age experience — it listed 24 seniors on its roster and started all seniors — San Marino (16-2), the defending champion, had the final experience.
Canyon trailed, 9-3, after two rounds. The Comanches (20-1) closed the deficit to 9-6 and could have forced the match to be decided on games, but it was too much to overcome, resulting in their first loss of the season.
“You can’t practice for something like this,” Canyon coach Wil Wilkins said.
For Canyon senior Helena Bui, the nerves caused her to push her shots instead of following all the way through. She faced San Marino’s top player, Devon Jack, in the first round and lost, 6-0.
“They’re the best team we’ve played,” Bui said.
The Comanches played progressively better as the match went on. Bui won her next two sets. Amanda Zuidema topped Jack, 7-5, in the third round. Tyler Garant and Kellin Estrada closed out their day with a 6-1 win after losing their first two sets.
The tears streaming down the cheeks of multiple players showed how difficult Friday’s loss was to take.
But Candia and Phillips said reaching the final after exiting in the second round each of the past three years was a huge accomplishment for Canyon.
“We made history,” Phillips said, “and I’m completely honored to be a part of this team.”
Contact the writer: mcooper@ocregister.com
