Mt. Carmel High School opened in 1974. The Rancho Penasquitos school has won section championships in baseball, boys and girls basketball, cross country, gymnastics and lacrosse, 17 sports in all. Plus individual titles in swimming and track and field.
But never in girls tennis.
Until Saturday. Samantha Cheng, all of 5-feet-4-inches and 105 pounds, set history at the Balboa Tennis Club, defeating No. 1 seeded Kate Prichard of Patrick Henry 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (4) to become the first Mt. Carmel girl to win the San Diego Section singles title.
On the final point of the match, Cheng, a junior, placed a serve to Prichard’s backhand. Prichard’s return sailed high and deep and Cheng watched, knowing it would be long. Her thoughts while the ball was hanging in the air?
“I’m just thinking, ‘Wow, I made it.’ Because this has been my dream for so long,” she said.
As for being the first Sundevil to win the girls singles title, she said, “I don’t even know. There’s so much happening right now. I’m grateful for everyone who supported me throughout the match.”
While Cheng and Prichard are both baseliners, the final offered a contrast in styles. The 5-foot-10 Prichard, who will play tennis at the University of Montana, crushes serves. She hits two types of forehands: hard and can-I-crush-it-through-the-fence.
Cheng is quicker, offers more variety to her game with drop shots and slices. She generates power by whipping her forehand so hard you’d think she’d throw out her shoulder.
“I get (power) mostly from turning my body,” she said. “I’m able to whip my arm across.”
Cheng broke Prichard serve three times in taking the first set 6-2. Prichard steadied her game in the second set, winning 6-3. In the third set it looked like Cheng might run away, bolting to a 4-1 lead. But Prichard rallied, rattling off four straight games.
“I kind of manifested in my head, ‘I’m going to win this match. I’m going to win this match.’ I guess that’s what got me through,” said Prichard.
But in a tussle that lasted 2 hours, 28 minutes, Cheng was steadier in the 7-4 tie-breaker, winning three points off Prichard’s serve. Afterward, Prichard was understandably despondent.
Told multiple times by family members and friends that she battled, Prichard said, “I did, but my tennis wasn’t there. I struggled to get going the first set. My serve wasn’t a big weapon today. I went for way too many crazy shots early in points. I don’t think my footwork was there.”
Outside of Cheng, maybe no one savored her win more than Jim Wrage, now in his 36th season as Mt. Carmel’s coach.
“I’m amazed,” he said. “Once it got in a tiebreaker, in past years, she’d be a little nervous.”
Not this week. Cheng won tiebreakers in the round of 16 and in a semifinal match that lasted more than three hours Friday when she knocked off No. 2 seed Chaeyule Kang of Canyon Crest Academy.
“This year,” said Wrage, “she realized how good she was and refused to lose.”
Doubles
In an all-Torrey Pines final featuring the Falcons’ four senior captains, top-seeded Rebecca Kong and Natalia Mochernak defeated fifth-seeded Anna Ding and Eva Elleraas 6-1, 6-0. In five tournament matches, Kong and Mochernak lost just four games.
Kong, who will play at Harvey Mudd College, added a doubles championship to the singles title she won last year. She said she opted for doubles this year because “I mean, I wanted to play with my friend. I wanted to have more fun.”