Two weeks ago, the girls’ varsity team ended with a Western League record of 9-1, having lost only to Cathedral Catholic High School. With an overall season record of 13-2, Coronado was placed in the Open Division of CIF. This is the highest division of CIF where the eight top teams of the San Diego Section compete for the Open-Division title. Coronado was seeded sixth of these eight teams.
On Thursday, October 26, Coronado played the number-three seed in the tournament, Canyon Crest High School. With 94-degree weather and at their home courts, the team faced tough match play. Of the singles matches, Coronado only won two of the nine. Coronado, however, fared better in the doubles matches. Elsa Östermarker and Olivia Strong had an outstanding day, winning all three of their matches, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4. Ellie Johnson and Marla Steel saved another match in their favor, 6-3. The final score was 6-12 against Canyon Crest, as they continued to go to the finals of the CIF Open Division draw.
The week after, the team was entered into the Western League Individual tournament for a chance to qualify for the CIF Individual tournament of the entire San Diego Section. All semi-finalists in the Western League draw have a chance. Players who lost in the quarter-finals are entered in a “back draw” another opportunity to qualify for the tournament. In the singles draw, Summer Vu was seeded fifth and Hannah Quirk eighth. Kayla Sacks, although unseeded, was also entered. Coronado completely dominated in the seedings with Elsa Östermarker and Olivia Strong seeded as first. They are followed by Sanaia Haskal and Lily Vu seeded second, Virginia Beall and Samantha Russell sixth, and Ellie Johnson and Marla Steel seventh. “Coronado has more players entered into the tournament than any other Western League school, which is a testament to the exceptional junior programs and the tennis professionals we have,” says Coach Moore.
After the Western League tournament was completed, a total of twelve players qualified for the CIF Individual tournament, two of which were in the singles draw and the other ten in the doubles draw. Summer Vu, seeded in the top twenty of the singles draw, was given no challenge in the first round and won 6-0, 6-0. In the second round, she ran into trouble against an unseeded player from Helix High School. She dropped the first set at 2-6, came back in the second set at 6-4, and lost finally in an extremely tight third-set tiebreaker, 10-12.
Seeded players Tiana French and Alejandra Gonzalez received byes in the first two rounds, starting automatically at the third round. They played another seeded team from Point Loma and lost in a three close sets, 6-4, 6-7, 7-10. Pairs Virginia Beall and Samantha Russell, and Ellie Johnson and Marla Steel, also did not make it past the third round, losing to a seeded team from San Dieguito Academy. Elsa Östermarker and Olivia Strong, however, did win their first match in the third round, but later lost against their opponents from the CIF Open-Division Tournament. Sanaia Haskal and Lily Vu also lost their fourth-round match against an unseeded team from Bishop’s.
The CIF Individual tournament ended the fall post-season for one of the best Coronado Girls’ Varsity Tennis team Coach Moore has seen.
