DANA POINT – There’s as much to learn in a win as there are in losses under certain circumstances, and Tuesday provided just that for University’s top-ranked girls tennis team.
Having built a commanding four-point lead after two rounds of play against No. 3 Dana Hills, the Trojans dropped five of six sets in the third round and escaped Dana Hills High with a 9-9 victory based on total number of games won, 83-78.
“I give Dana a ton of credit for coming back in the last round,” University coach John Kessler said. “We had six new girls today in the lineup, so I saw a lot of tightness, especially in that last round. So we’re going to have to work on that.”
Trojans senior Judy Kam was the only player to sweep her sets in Tuesday’s nonleague contest, coming down from a break in the first round to top talented freshman Courtney Swift, 6-4, highlighting University’s 4-2 first round showing.
After Ashlyn Wang and Sasha Iraniha fought back from a 5-3 doubles deficit to win a 7-6 tiebreaker in the second round, the Trojans built an 8-4 edge going into the final round.
Kam’s 6-2 victory gave University its ninth point of the match, but it also proved to be the last set the Trojans could muster.
“Judy is a stud for us,” Kessler added. “The difference for Judy is that she made the adjustments. The other girls just gave into the nerves, but it was a great match. Dana played well.”
While Swift and April Schultz each won their final singles set, the Dolphins’ three doubles teams swept in the third round, with Ayla Fresenius and Jasmine Mosavi topping Wang and Iraniha, 6-3, for Dana’s ninth point.
“Those first two rounds we had a lot of close matches, so it doesn’t surprise me we won five in that last round,” Dana Hills coach Justin Green said. “Just too little too late unfortunately.”
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com
