Los Alamitos survives tough opener in tennis playoffs

PLACENTIA - Down 2-4 in their final set against El Dorado, Los Alamitos' No. 3 doubles team didn't know the situation, but it was simple.

If Krista Englant and Jennifer Atashi lost, so would the Griffins. If they rallied and won, so would the Griffins.

Englant and Atashi took the final four games to come back and give Los Alamitos the victory 78-75 on games after the teams tied at 9 in sets in first round Division II CIF-SS playoff action Thursday at El Dorado High. Los Alamitos visits No. 2 Beverly Hills on Saturday.

“We didn't know that,” Englant said of her team's position. “We lost our first set and we were just focused on doing better the rest of the match.”

Englant and Atashi led 5-4 in the opening round against Emilie Hechanova and Jackie Shaib. However, Hechanova and Shaib pulled out the set 7-6, giving the Golden Hawks a 4-2 advantage after the first round of matches.

The Griffins drew even at 6 by sweeping the doubles in Round 2, including Englant and Atashi's victory over the Hawks' No. 1 team of Erica Navarro and Susie Oh. The Griffins won six of the nine doubles sets.

Both coaches met with their teams before Round 3, with the Griffins ahead on games 54-50.

“I said it's all about heart,” Los Alamitos coach Debbie Fleming said. “It's about who wants it the most. Luckily, we came out on top. I'm real proud of them.”

Los Alamitos, which entered as the Sunset League's No. 3 team, wasn't a stranger to close matches. The Griffins lost three league matches on games - including both matches to league champ Newport Harbor - to end their 19-year reign atop the Sunset League.

Fleming said she had a feeling it would come down to games against the Century League champion El Dorado.

“After losing those three 9-all matches, the kids got tougher and tougher,” she said. “Each time we lost by less games. They never give up. They always fight back. Every single person was important today.”

In other matches:

Santa Margarita 9, Laguna Hills 9 (SM wins on games 78-74): The Eagles beat the Hawks 10-8 earlier in the season, setting up Thursday's first-round Div. I playoff meeting. The Trinity League champs took five doubles sets, but needed to win on games to advance. The Eagles face second-seeded Dana Hills on Saturday. The Dolphins beat Westlake 17-1 on Thursday.

St. Margaret's 18, Mayfair 0: The Tartans are seeded No. 1 in Division IV and opened up with an easy victory over visiting Mayfair. St. Margaret's faces the winner of Bishop Diego and Crossroads on Saturday.

Valencia 17, West Ranch 1: The top-seeded Tigers seek their third straight CIF title, this time in Division III. They had little trouble in their opening-round match, dropping one doubles set. Valencia plays the winner of Mark Keppel/Gahr on Saturday.

Corona del Mar 18, Calvary Chapel 0: Corona del Mar, the No. 1 team in Orange County and top seed in Division I, rolled past Calvary Chapel without dropping a set. No Sea Queen lost more than two games in any set. Corona del Mar faces the winner of Orange Lutheran/Mira Costa on Saturday.

Ocean View 17, Marshall/LA 1: After reaching the quarterfinals in Division V last year, Ocean View received the No. 2 seed this year and began the playoffs by sweeping singles against Marshall.