South County Notes: No stopping Dana Hills

Dana Hills' top-ranked girls tennis team remained in a class of its own in the county after capturing the All-American Tournament title this weekend.

The tournament is considered by many as the mythical state championship because all the top teams in CIF-SS compete in it.

The Dolphins (9-0) defeated Santa Barbara, 8-0, Beverly Hills, 4-4 (winning on games, 54-44), Palm Desert, 5-3, and La Quinta, 6-2. - Artie Casas

The usual brilliance of San Clemente senior Alex Dunne was on full display at the Clovis Invitational on Saturday, yet it was the effort of her teammates that might have been the most impressive result for the Tritons.

While Dunne (17:34) posted the fastest time of the meet to win the girls extra-large schools race, four other Tritons runners finished in the top 20. San Clemente won the team competition by 57 points over second-place Arcadia.

Junior Sarah Darby (19:31) and sophomores Ali Palmer (19:32), Kaitlyn Harrison (19:36), and Andrea Bower (19:38) helped the Tritons post an overall team time of 1:35:51, second best among all county teams.

It was the second consecutive year that Dunne won the extra-large schools race at the Clovis Invitational. - Jason Eichelberger

El Toro's boys water polo team is 15-0, ranked No. 1 in Orange County and CIF-SS Division I and has captured two major 32-team tournaments.

Miramonte of Orinda is 12-0, champions of the recent S & R Sport Invitational and John Schmitt Tournament and considered the top team in Northern California.

Both schools appear to be the class of their respective regions, but which should be viewed as the best team in the state at this point?

"I'd go with Miramonte, based on their talent pool," said El Toro coach Don Stoll, who watched the Matadors capture the S & R in Irvine on Saturday night. "I think we're right there, but I'd give Miramonte the nod."

The teams could meet in less than two weeks at the North-South Challenge in Atherton. The tournament (Oct. 24-25) features eight teams from Southern California and eight from Northern California. - Dan Albano

Golf, in many ways, is more of a mental game than physical, so University girls coach Michael Bova has brought a sports psychologist, Kevin Sverduk, in to work with the Trojans.

Sverduk, a professor at Long Beach State, made his rounds at the Oak Creek putting green, giving the Trojans some last-minute advice before University's match last week against Irvine.

Bova said his team is talented, from top to bottom. Sometimes, though, his girls don't have confidence in their ability, and that's where he hopes Sverduk can help.

He's worked with Torrance, the defending state champs, and Ani Gulugian, the Trojans' top player and a top-50 player in the Golfweek junior rankings, has been a client of his. - Damian Dottore

Laguna Beach can play with the best girls volleyball teams in the nation.

The Breakers took a game from national No. 1 La Costa Canyon on Saturday in the California Challenge at Torrey Pines, and even let some opportunities slip by to grab a 2-1 lead. They lost in four to La Costa and finished seventh in the tournament of 32.

"We've got some tough, tough teams in our path to win another CIF championship, but I think we're right on track," said Coach Lance Stewart, whose two-time defending champions has replaced three starters from 2007. - Jonathan Kay

Contact the writer: ctobolski@ocregister.com