Publication Date: Friday, March 25, 2005
Menlo boys take on nation's best in All-American tennis
Menlo boys take on nation's best in All-American tennis
(March 25, 2005) by Keith Peters
Menlo School boys' tennis coach Bill Shine is predicting a good showing for his squad at this weekend's sixth annual National High School Tennis All-American Boys Invitational Team Tournament in Newport Beach.
Shine knows that the Knights can't be as bad as last season, when they lost all four matches in this tournament on their way to an 18-7 season record.
For Shine, the 2004 season was statistically his worst in eight seasons at Menlo. He didn't have his top two singles player in this national tourney last year and injuries, illness and academic problems led to the end the team's streak of six consecutive Central Coast Section Division II titles.
The Knights are new and improved this season, moreover they are deeper and healthier. Depth will be critical today and Saturday since the format for tournament is six singles and three doubles, all playing pro sets.
Menlo opens against third-seeded and host Corona del Mar, which features the nation's best junior (18-under) in Carsten Ball. The Knights will then face the winner (or loser) of the Horace Mann (N.Y.)-La Jolla County Day School match.
Los Gatos, the defending CCS and NorCal champion, is in the bracket opposite Menlo. Those teams, however, faced each other Wednesday in a tuneup for this tournament and the host Knights pulled out a dramatic 5-4 victory.
"It was a cliffhanger," Shine said.
The match came down to No. 3 doubles, where Menlo's Mark Keegan and Alex Kaufman grabbed a 7-3 lead before Los Gatos rallied to tie and force a tiebreaker that Menlo won, 9-7.
"They held their composure," Shine said of his tandem. "Their poise was great. They let the lead slip, but they played great in the tiebreaker."
Menlo (10-0) and Los Gatos were tied after singles, where the Knights picked up points from Andrew Diehl at No. 1, John Williford at No. 5 and Keegan at No. 6.
Diehl and Daniel Goldstein picked up a key point at No. 2 doubles when a Los Gatos player had to leave with his team trailing, 4-3. The Wildcats soon tied the match at 4 with a win at No. 1 doubles - setting the stage for Keegan and Kaufman.
"We got a little taste of what's going to happen down south this weekend," Shine said. "It was our first really close match of the season. It's good preparation for what we're going to see."
What Shine doesn't expect to see this week is his team lose all four matches.
"That's not going to happen," he said.
Shine goes into the weekend with a 195-19 record in his ninth season at Menlo. Since it's unlikely the Knights will go 4-0 and win the tournament, Shine could get his 200th win as early as April 7 at home against Burlingame.
Most area schools will be on Easter break next week.
Six matches were rained out Monday and Tuesday. The Sacred Heart Prep-Palo Alto match was postponed Wednesday, as was Pinewood at Mountain View.
Golf
While Palo Alto continues to be led by the one-two punch of Will Haydon and Max Rausch, the Vikings have fallen on hard times after finishing the 2004 season undefeated in league play.
Paly suffered its worst loss in at least six years, falling to unbeaten Mountain View on Tuesday, 199-234, at Shoreline Golf Links. Rausch shared medalist honors with a 1-over-par 37 while Haydon shot 40 on a rainy day.
In the Private Schools Athletic League, Sacred Heart Prep (3-0, 6-1) continued its fine season with a 201-248 win over Harker at Sharon Heights Country Club. Michael McMahon, who already has played soccer and basketball, shot a 2-over-par 38 to lead the Gators.
Lacrosse
Molly Lapolla scored five goals and Erica Swanson added two in leading Menlo to a 10-7 victory over host Leland in a Peninsula Athletic League match. The Knights improved to 3-1 (4-3 overall).
In a boys' nonleague match, Menlo (9-1) outscored host R.L. Stevenson, 10-3, as goalie Zach Carson had 14 saves. Devon Arscott scored three goals, Matt Moone and Kevin Teng added two each, and Jack Miller contributed five assists plus one goal for the Knights.
The victory avenged a loss to RLS just three days earlier in the A Division championship match of the Carmel Invitational Tournament. Menlo lost that match, 5-4.
Softball
Alex Chang-Graham struck out 10 of 14 batters and had three singles to lead Castilleja (3-2) to a 10-0 nonleague win over visiting Sacred Heart Prep on Wednesday.
Swimming
Gunn's young and talented girls' team joined with the Titans' veteran boys' squad to remain undefeated in dual meets, as both swamped host Los Altos in the rain Tuesday in SCVAL De Anza Division action.
Three freshmen led the girls to a 106-80 triumph. Naomi Glassman, Katie Reeves and Tara Levens all won events in their first varsity league meet. Glassman won the 50 free (26.39), Reeves took the 500 free (5:30.22) and Levens captured the 100 back (1:00.95). All three also swam legs on Gunn's three winning relays. Ariel Baugh (100 free) and Di Eaton (200 free) also contributed to the relay triumphs in addition to their individual wins.
The Gunn boys prevailed, 130-36, as senior Ysbrand Nusse (200 free, 500 free) and sophomore Matt Prior (200 IM, 100 back) added legs on two winning relays to their individual triumphs. Nick Rouse clocked a speedy 22.79 to win the 50 free and move among the CCS leaders.
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