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It was a special day in more ways than one for the Menlo School boys' tennis team Thursday at the Central Coast Section Individual Tournament at Imperial Courts in Aptos. Actually, two season-ending victories made for quite an historic occasion.

Menlo senior Daniel Hoffman won the CCS singles title, his first ever, and teammates Max Glenn (a senior) and Patrick Chase (a junior) teamed to defend their doubles title. Earlier this month, all three helped the Knights defeat Bellarmine for the CCS team championship.

By sweeping the CCS singles, doubles and team titles, Menlo becomes only the second school in section history to pull off that feat. In 1974, Gunn won all three titles.

Menlo also produced another milestone by sweeping on Thursday. It was only the second time in school history that the Knights won the CCS singles and doubles titles in the same year. Thirty years ago, Glen Layendecker won the singles crown and Menlo teammates Bob Hepner and Geordie McKee took the doubles crown.

The top-seeded Hoffman finished off a personal Grand Slam by defeating Eugene Muchynski of Lynbrook in the title match, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. Hoffman won the West Bay Athletic League singles title (after helping Menlo go undefeated in league), won his No. 1 singles match in the CCS team finale, did the same in the NorCal team finals and then topped it all off by winning on Thursday.

Hoffman is the fifth Menlo player to win a CCS singles title. In the semifinals, Hoffman eliminated No. 4 Michael Elortegui of Carmel, 6-2, 6-3.

Glenn and Chase completed Menlo's dream season by topping Palo Alto's Dan Schwartz and Drew Pearson in the finals, 6-3, 6-2. The Knights' duo becomes only the second team to win the CCS crown and the only tandem to win twice.

Glenn and Chase advanced to the finals with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Carmel's Russell Poole and Jose Toala. Pearson and Schwartz, hoping to become Paly's first CCS doubles champs since 1991, eliminated Menlo's Ryan Duggal and Kyle Sum in the semifinals, 6-3, 6-1.

Gunn junior Rajeev Herekar bowed out in the semifinals following a 6-3, 6-2 loss to Muchynski.

-- PA Weekly Online Sports

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