Just like last year, the Los Osos girls tennis team is seeded No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
And just like last year, the Grizzlies advanced to the championship.
But that’s where they hope the similarities end, as the Grizzlies try to finish what they couldn’t last year.
Searching for its first section title, Los Osos (15-0) will face unseeded Aliso Niguel on Friday at 12:30 p.m. at the Pomona-Pitzer courts in Claremont. A year ago, Los Osos fell 10-8 in the Division 1 final to unseeded Tesoro in a match at The Claremont Club.
“I’m very excited for a second chance to get a CIF championship,” said senior No. 1 singles player Shukan Parikh.
Los Osos coach Gilbert Delgadillo hopes his team’s experience last year will be an asset this year.
“Everyone’s going to be nervous. It’s how we deal with it,” Delgadillo said. “It’s going to help. This is not our first rodeo (in the finals). We have a little chip on our shoulder and a little unfinished business that we have to take care of.”
Parikh believes the experience last year will help this year. Six of the nine players expected to be in the lineup Friday also played in last year’s final.
“Last year was a very close match,” she said. “We know the crucial sets we cannot afford to lose. Last year’s experience will definitely help us.”
Los Osos has experience against Aliso Niguel in the playoffs. Los Osos defeated the Wolverines 11-7 in the semifinals last year.
“I think it will come down to execution,” Delgadillo said. “A lot of it is about who clicks at the right time. We came out a little sluggish against Arcadia (in the second round), but then we came out against Santa Margarita (in the quarterfinals) and played amazing tennis.”
Los Osos advanced to this year’s final with an 11-7 victory over King at a very windy Los Osos High School on Wednesday.
Because of the windy conditions, there was a discussion about moving the match to another site or playing instead on Thursday, but it was ultimately decided to make no changes. The conditions might have slightly favored the Grizzlies, who are more used to playing and practicing in windy conditions.
“I don’t know if it had a huge impact, but every little bit helps,” Delgadillo said. “That’s part of having the home court advantage.”
It was a tight match early, with the teams splitting six sets in each of the first two rounds.
But King could not afford to split again on the third rotation, since Los Osos entered the final round ahead by eight games in a potential tiebreaker.
“We were a little tight, a little sluggish,” Delgadillo said. “But they came out in the last round and (it was good) to see them just fire like that.”
The only sweep from Los Osos came from the doubles team of Jessica Dong and Makayla Vo, who started at No. 3 doubles, but lost only three games in three sets.
For King, senior No. 1 singles player Lexie Flores recorded a sweep.
The closest set came in the first round, when Flores, King’s No. 1 singles player, faced Parikh, who earned her fourth straight Baseline League singles title this year. Flores won the set, 6-4.
“I expected it to be a battle,” said King coach Shaun Harris, in his first year coaching the girls team. “We came out here and noticed they put a little more strength in the doubles, which is understandable, but I didn’t have a counter for that.”
Harris expressed disappointment afterwards at some of the Los Osos fans, many of whom were students. He admonished them for cheering loudly at what Harris felt were inappropriate moments.
“High school tennis, you’re trying to do that etiquette element,” Harris said. “I get the home court advantage, but at the same time, I just want them to have good sportsmanship. Do I think it influenced some things? Yes. Do I think it changed the outcome where we would’ve won or lost? I don’t know if that really is the case. But I definitely think it made an impact in some of the sets here.”
— PETE MARSHALL
DIVISION 6 FINAL
The Liberty and Woodcrest Christian girls tennis team have avoided any upsets during the playoffs, and the two Inland squads will meet for the Division 6 championship Friday at 1:40 at Claremont Club. Both are seeking the program’s first section title.
Liberty (19-2) claimed the Mountain Pass League championship this year and earned the No. 1 seed for the Division 6 playoffs. The Bison reached the finals for the first time with wins over Knight (15-3), Bishop Diego (12-6), Linfield Christian (11-7) and Western Christian (11-7).
Woodcrest Christian (14-4-1) received the No. 2 seed in the Division 6 bracket after winning a share of the Ambassador League championship. The Royals defeated Nogales (15-3), La Mirada (10-8), Hueneme (14-4) and Silverado (10-8) to reach the section finals for the first time since 2018.
— ERIC-PAUL JOHNSON