The Palos Verdes girls tennis doubles teams had been dominant this season and Monday’s regular-season finale against Peninsula was more of the same.
PV’s doubles won eight of nine sets against rival Peninsula, helping the Sea Kings close out the regular season with a 12-6 Bay League victory.
“Our doubles teams have been setting the tone all season,” PV coach Kurt Hay said.
Hay added the doubles have lost just four matches this season. While most high school tennis teams have their “hammers” in singles play, PV preferred to keep its better players in its doubles lineup.
“If I put three doubles teams out there, I’d be very confident they’re going to win at least eight sets,” Hay said. “The biggest thing is our number three team beating their number one, and they can do it fifty percent of the time.”
PV’s no. 3 doubles team of seniors Kaitlin Cobb and Christine Xie won two of their three sets (6-3, 6-2, 1-6), while Stella Simpson-Morgan/Cassie Blakey and Ava Min/Caroline Chu swept their sets.
The depth of PV’s lineup is something Peninsula coach Mike Hoeger lauded.
“PV has different pieces and it’s a luxury being able to move girls from singles to doubles,” Hoeger said. “They used different combinations when we played them earlier this season, and it doesn’t seem to matter. Hay is in an enviable position, because he can do different things against different opponents.”
PV boasted the top four teams in the Bay League doubles championships in 2022. Each team advanced to the semifinal round, with Simpson-Morgan and Blakey taking the crown.
This year seems to be no different, heading into Thursday’s league championships at the Jack Kramer Club.
Following the match, the Sea Kings kept the celebration to a minimum, having already clinched the league crown last Thursday against Santa Monica, knowing the job wasn’t finished.
“The girls were stoked to be defending league champions, but they know there’s a lot more work to do,” Hay said. “They portrayed a sense of ‘we’re not done yet’.”
Two-time defending Bay League individual champion Isa Bringas (Peninsula) put the finishing touches on her own undefeated Bay League season with wins of 6-3, 6-2, 6-1.
“Bringas is a very versatile, old-school, all-court player,” Hoeger said. “She gets to the net well and changes her game based on her opponent.”
What Hay saw in Bringas was a player whom he feels is the favorite to win her third straight league title. The Bay League individual tournament is Wednesday at the Jack Kramer Club.
“I’ve watched (Bringas) over the last four years, and I don’t think there is any other player I’ve seen that knows her game and can inflict it upon her opponents,” Hay said. “She knows how to dismantle other players.”
With the CIF-SS Open Division draws released Monday, Oct. 30, Hoeger can see the possibility of Peninsula and Mira Costa meeting for the third time this season.
“We split this season with Mira Costa, so we know it will be a battle and we’re playing an all too familiar opponent,” Hoeger said. “That first match is always stressful because the team that wins qualifies for the (CIF) State tournament.