Skip to content
Associate mug of Kenny Connolly, Anaheim reporter.

Date shot: 12/31/2012 . Photo by KATE LUCAS /  ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Corona del Mar is the top-ranked girls tennis team in Orange County, but on Tuesday afternoon, it solidified itself as one of the top squads in the state when it knocked off the three-time defending CIF champs, Peninsula High.

Senior Jasie Dunk and junior Danielle Willson set the tone early, each sweeping on the singles side to lead a 12-6 upset victory over the host Panthers in a nonleague showdown between a pair of Division 1 title contenders.

CdM, ranked third in the latest CIF-SS poll, improved to 5-0 with the win and handed top-ranked Peninsula (3-1) its first loss of the season. The Panthers only setback in the 2015 season came against Campbell Hall on games in a 9-9 affair. They were 21-1 a season ago, 26-0 in 2014 and 23-0 in 2013. Peninsula won CIF titles and Southern California Regional championships in each of those three years.

The Sea Kings jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first round, and led 9-3 after the second. The No. 3 doubles team of Emily Freyman and Bella McKinney pulled out a pair of crucial tiebreakers in the opening two rounds, helping CdM build a commanding lead.

Camellia Edalat and Brooke Kenerson also notched two points as the Sea Kings No.1 doubles team.

CdM will close out nonleague play against No. 10 Mater Dei on Wednesday before opening up Pacific Coast League play against Woodbridge on Thursday.

In other nonleague action:

Beckman 14, Valencia 4: The Emily Lu-Alycia Adams doubles team swept in convincing fashion, 6-2, 6-1, 6-0, guiding the Patriots past the Tigers on Tuesday afternoon.

Beckman junior Ashley Teng went 2-1 in the No. 1 singles slot, only dropping a 7-6 set to Valencia star Emilee Duong.