CLAREMONT – Celine Gruaz and Yuki Asami sat together on the bus Friday to devise a plan they thought could beat undefeated Peninsula of Rolling Hills Estates.
The two University junior tennis players knew they needed to try something after the Trojans lost to the Panthers twice this year. Gruaz and Asami – both singles players most of the season – bounced ideas off each other, finally deciding their best chance came if they each moved into doubles. University coach John Kessler ran with their suggestion.
The plan made the match more competitive, but University fell short, 4-3, to Peninsula in the Southern California Regional Finals on Saturday at The Claremont Club.
While the Trojans won all three doubles matches, Peninsula’s singles — which included one of the top sophomores in the nation, Ena Shibahara, and Harvard-bound senior Annika Ringblom — made it so that no lineup switch could take down the Panthers.
For University, it meant the girls came one match short of matching the boys, who won regionals in the spring.
“I don’t think we could have got it any closer,” Kessler said.
Asami teamed with Danielle Pham at No. 1 doubles.
They defeated Peninsula’s No. 1 doubles team, Sara Khattab and Gala Strong, in a close 10-8 tiebreaker after splitting the first two sets.
Gruaz partnered with Kyla Scott and they defeated Tia Elpusan and Sarina Liu in straight sets.
“We had to do something crazy,” Gruaz said.
But University knew its fate also depended on how Peninsula structured its lineup. The Panthers kept their strongest players in singles.
The Trojans’ No. 4 singles player Kayti Luu matched up evenly with Risa Nakagawa early in the first set but could not maintain it. University’s Marissa Williams, who said she was surprised at how well she fought, gave Ringblom a battle before losing 2-6, 2-6.
Ringblom finished off Williams to give Peninsula a 4-1 overall lead, clinching the match.
“We were hoping they might put someone out of singles,” Scott said. “Everyone played well.”
Contact the writer: mcooper@ocregister.com
