St. Margaret's lineup has big-time talent

It's a thing of beauty when a small school can compete and even beat some of the big schools.

St. Margaret's girls tennis team has been the county's biggest giant-killer this season.

The Tartans have beaten perennial powerhouse teams Laguna Beach, 10-8, and Santa Margarita, 11-7, this season.

"We have the most balanced team that we have ever had," St. Margaret's coach Rick Trager said.

"We have three good singles players and three great doubles teams. In the past we have always had some weaknesses that were hard to hide.

This year we have strength all the way through our line-up and that has really helped us out a lot."

That powerful line-up has led the Tartans to an undefeated record, 12-0, thus far, a No. 1 CIF-SS Division IV ranking and the No. 5 spot on the Register's top 10 poll.

St. Margaret's started its rise into the upper echelon of the girls tennis county scene by beating the Breakers in the opening match of the nonleague season.

Laguna Beach started the season ranked as the No. 6 team in the county before being knocked off by the Tartans.

"Playing a good school like that off the bat was kind of scary, but we came through pretty big and got a quality win," Ricker said.

"That was a really hard fought match and it really got us thinking hey we are a good team."

Then the Tartans kept climbing up the county ranks with another quality win over the Eagles.

Santa Margarita was ranked No. 8 when St. Margaret's won that match.

"At the beginning of each season you are not quite sure what kind of team you are going to have," Ricker said.

"You're just trying to get your team chemistry going."

After another big win over their Academy League rivals Sage Hill, 10-8, it looks like the Tartans are rolling along just fine.

St. Margaret's doesn't rely on just one player to win matches for the team, everyone contributes.

That includes a balanced singles lineup that is comprised of Melanie Hess, Tiffany Chang and Hanna Hurr.

Hess, a junior, is the teams No. 1 singles player.

"She is a player that has really good ground strokes, moves around really well and returns a lot of balls back," Ricker said.

Chang, a freshman, will be the Tartans No. 2 singles player.

"She moves the ball around the court extremely well," Ricker said. "If you play her it's pretty much guaranteed that you will be running all over the court, she has that much control of her ground strokes."

Hurr, a junior, will round out St. Margaret's singles lineup.

"She is the epitome of consistency," Ricker said.

"She doesn't have a lot of shots in her arsenal and nothing that can overpower her opponent, but she just runs every ball down and tries to outlast you on the court.

She is very strong between the ears and understands that the longer a match goes on the more likely she will win."

It's scary to think that this Tartans singles line is still getting better.

"All three of our singles players fall in the same category. They are all very consistent and steady players that don't make a lot of errors," Ricker said.

"They are the kind of players that if you are going to beat them you are going to have to come out and take it to them, because they are not going to beat themselves. They frustrate their opponents and are able to grind out a lot of matches."

It must be a little bit intimidating for opposition to see St. Margaret's six foot tennis players on the side of the net.

Mary Rachel Walsh and Allie Davis are imposing figures as the Tartans No. 1 doubles team, but their approach to tennis is very different.

Davis is the finesse player that keeps the ball alive with an assortment of shots.

Walsh oozes athleticism and knows how finish a point off with her power strokes.

"They play really smart tennis that is aggressive and disciplined," Trager said. "These girls play doubles the way it should be played."

This senior duo is the reigning Academy League doubles champions and a repeat seems all but certain.

Depth is what makes St. Margaret's a superior team.

The Tartans No. 2 doubles team could easily be their No. 1 considering how sophomore Hannah Hess and Junior Hailey Miller have been destroying the opposition.

"That's definitely our strength this year," Trager said. "We have a pair of doubles teams that can compete with anyone."

Miller is a two-time Academy League singles champion, but a shoulder injury has forced her to compete in doubles this year.

"She suffered that injury at the end of last year and didn't compete in CIF," Trager said. "She has been playing phenomenal doubles. I hope that she can get back to where she was with her arm fully healed because she is just a tremendous tennis player."

St. Margaret's No. 3 doubles team has the skills to be a real threat.

It's just going to take some time to get junior Frances Lydon and senior Serene Haddad to gel together.

"They haven't had a lot of chances to play together, but they are starting understand how to play tennis doubles," Trager said.

"Once they start playing a little more as a team instead of two individuals, they are going to be really good."

A perfect nonleague record is already in the books and thus far the Tartans look unstoppable in League as well.

St. Margaret's biggest threat in the Academy League is Sage Hill, but a road victory has at least assured the team a share of the title.

"I just want them to concentrate on each match and not worry about who we are playing next," Trager said.

"We need to just worry about one match at a time because there is nothing worse than looking too far out. If you concentrate on what you are doing and then everything else will take its course."

The Tartans finished their season with a semi-finals appearance in CIF a year ago, without looking too far ahead it looks like a finals appearance is well within their reach.