NEWPORT BEACH – As soon as the last round of singles sets wrapped up, players from Corona del Mar and Northwood headed off to get a look at the final three doubles sets beings played simultaneously.
The dual match was close. Real close.
Every point warranted an enthusiastic fist pump, and every game won was met with a loud applause from the teammates who were looking on.
While they were outplayed collectively in doubles on the day, the Sea Kings’ top two doubles teams won their final sets to give No. 3 CdM a hard-fought 10-8 victory over No. 4 Northwood in the Pacific Coast League opener Wednesday at Corona del Mar High.
“They were outplaying us in doubles for sure,” said Corona del Mar coach Jamie Gresh. “Their doubles teams were very solid. I felt fortunate to get out of that last round picking up two (points).
“There was a very good chance we lose that match, 8 to 10, but I thought we really played tough down the stretch, especially at courts two and three.”
Headed into the last round of sets, CdM and Northwood had played to a 6-6 draw. The Sea Kings had gone 5-1 in singles, while the Timberwolves were 5-1 in doubles.
Bjorn Hoffman and Ryan Andrews each capped off 3-0 days with wins in their final singles sets, giving CdM an 8-7 advantage with three doubles sets still being played.
Northwood looked poised to pull off the upset as all of their doubles teams led, 2-1, at one point in their final sets.
CdM’s Carson Williams and Jonny Rhone stormed back to win their set, 6-4, capturing the crucial ninth point in the process.
Minutes later, Tyler Gaede and Samee Aboubakare sealed the win for the Sea Kings by also pulling off a come-from-behind victory, 6-4.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com
