|
OCC's women's tennis team continues to ace the competition
|
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
|
|
|
| |
COSTA MESA - It was a match that didn't want to end -- and it was a match nobody wanted to see end.
But when the final point was won, the Orange Coast College women's tennis team survived a 5-hour, 45-minute marathon with Grossmont, winning 5-4 on Tuesday at the Southern California Dual Team Playoffs, held at OCC.
With the win, the No. 1 ranked Pirates (21-0) advance to take on No. 2 Santa Rosa for the state title on Thursday, beginning at noon at the Claremont Club.
"It was a huge win for us -- a great match with great crowds," OCC head coach Janice Maran said. "Both teams had a lot of support, so it was just a tremendous atmosphere for tennis."
With both teams tied at 4, it came down to the No. 2 doubles team of Jaleh Mazaheri and Julie Haley, who lost the first set, only to rally past the Grossmont pair of Anne Marie Leistikow and Brianna McClintock, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6.
"Obviously, each match is huge, but with it all tied up, those two girls really stepped up and played their hearts out," Maran said.
Another nice win for the Pirates came from the No. 1 doubles team of Jessica Rice and Emily Paulson, who swept past the Griffins' No. 1 pair of Yui Shimizu and Alyse Tyson, 6-2, 6-3, avenging a loss to them in the regional finals.
In singles play, OCC victories came from Rice (7-5, 5-7, 7-3 over Shimizu), Mazaheri (6-2, 6-4 over Leistikow) and Haley (6-3, 6-2 over McClintock).
Prior to Tuesday's thrilling win, several Pirate women earned individual berths at the State Championships at the SoCal Regionals, held last weekend at the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego.
The singles trio of Rice, Mazaheri and Paulson all advanced, while in doubles, the teams of Rice/Paulson and Mazaheri/Haley will also take to the Claremont Club courts on Thursday.
"Jaleh Mazaheri had a fantastic regional tournament for us," Maran said. "She was a finalist in singles and qualified in doubles with some fantastic play."
|
|