Freeman, Mater Dei too much for Northwood

IRVINE - After losing to Northwood No. 1 singles player Junya Yoshida earlier in the year, Mater Dei's No. 1 singles player, Chris Freeman, was determined to come away from their rematch with a victory.

He did just that, defeating Yoshida, 6-2, helping the Monarchs beat the Timberwolves, 13-5, in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Division I boys tennis playoffs Friday afternoon at Northwood High.

The Monarchs will be home for their quarterfinal match against Santa Barbara, which beat Dana Hills, 11-7, on Friday.

Mater Dei (20-4) was leading 5-1 after the first round of matches but the Monarchs had to battle for those early points. Monarchs No. 2 singles player Charlie Alvarado had to battle back from a 1-4 deficit to earn his point, and No. 2 doubles pair Omeed Ghassemi and Trevor Zaret had to overcome a 0-3 deficit to earn theirs.

“We could have been 3-3 after the first round but it ended up being 5-1, and that was a huge, huge confidence boost,” Mater Dei coach Marian Danse said.

Freeman helped set the tone for the match with his victory over Yoshida, and he went on to sweep his next two sets, 6-0, 6-0.

“I came out pretty pumped and I knew what was at stake," Freeman said. "I knew this was our CIF for our senior year,” Freeman said. “I wanted to go out with a big boom.”

Northwood (17-5) was flat in the second round and finished it trailing, 10-2, securing the victory for Mater Dei. The only second-round victory for Northwood came from Yoshida, who beat No. 3 singles player Nick Picarelli, 6-0.

“Mater Dei played awesome, no question,” Northwood coach Eric Keith said. “They got a good team. They deserve it.”

Contact the writer: preps@ocregister.com