Thanks to Maranatha for this report
Girls Tennis:
The first day of the Olympic League Tournament went largely as expected on this first day of play, as the top seeds in singles and doubles punched their tickets to the championship matches tomorrow.
In singles, No. 2 seed, Maranatha’s Stella Hsieh (24-3 in league play), was focused and dominant, as she didn’t surrender a game the entire afternoon. She won her quarterfinals match, 8-0, vs. No. 8 Em DeYoung of Valley Christian, playing aggressive from the start and never letting DeYoung get into any kind of rhythm.
In the semifinals, she faced Geffen Academy at UCLA’s Maya Kamangar, (17-3 in league; her only losses to Hsieh), the No. 3 seed. There were long rallies and exciting points, but Hsieh was always able to outlast and outhit Kamangar in every game, coming away with an impressive 6-0, 6-0 victory.
In the championship match, Hsieh will face the tournament’s top seed, Geffen’s Jenelle Liu (22-0 in league). The last time they faced off, Liu won, 6-4, in a tense set that lasted over an hour. It promises to be an exciting final.
In doubles, the No. 3 seed, Maranatha’s Amanda Yee/Kasey McCoy (17-7 in league), comfortably won their quarterfinals match, 8-3, over No. 7 Daisy Youn/Nicole Chang of Valley Christian, a team they’ve never lost to.
The semifinals was another matter, as Yee/McCoy faced the buzz saw from Geffen, Rachel Hofert/Caitlin Hurvitz (17-0 in league), the No. 2 seed. It took a full set-and-a-half for Yee/McCoy to adjust to their opponents’ higher level of play, and to realize and believe that they could compete with them. Unfortunately for Yee/McCoy, that realization came too late, as they already had dug themselves into too big a hole (it was 6-0, 3-0) before playing the type of tennis that could compete with Hofert/Hurvitz. The final score was 6-0, 6-3.
In the consolation round, Yee/McCoy face an inspired team in Keemia Kossari/Hannah Doran, the No. 5 seed that nearly pulled off the upset of the tournament, giving the No. 1 seed from Geffen their first league set loss of the season, and pushing them to the brink of elimination – 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-3). Yee/McCoy defeated Kossari/Doran each time they played this season, but Kossari/Doran are peaking at the right time. It should be a hard-fought match for 3rd place in league.
All matches begin at 1:50 on Wednesday at Whittier Narrows Tennis Center.
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