Menlo girls ace Saratoga, 7-0, to reach CCS title match Menlo girls ace Saratoga, 7-0, to reach CCS title match (November 16, 2005)

by Keith Peters

The Menlo School girls' tennis team has reached the Central Coast Section championship match 10 straight years under head coach Bill Shine. The latest one may be one of the most special.

"This is unbelievable, just incredible," Shine said Monday after his No. 3-seeded team toppled No. 2 Saratoga, 7-0, in the CCS semifinals at Courtside Tennis Club in Los Gatos. "I'm not surprised by the win, but I am a little by the score."

This has been a season of parity, where at least four teams were in contention for the CCS title and no team was undefeated.

Saratoga and two-time defending champion Monta Vista were favored to reach Wednesday's 2 p.m. finals at Courtside. Menlo (25-5) changed all that with its shocking victory Monday.

The triumph reversed Menlo's 4-2 loss to Saratoga in the Peach Tree Classic in Fresno in September.

"The last time we played Saratoga we blew it," Shine said. "We played not to lose. That was disappointing. It showed us that we needed to work harder."

Shine has spent most of this season trying to instill a "go for it" attitude, where his players would take an aggressive approach rather than a protective one. The finally showed up in then Knights' past two matches.

Menlo blitzed St. Ignatius, 7-0, last Friday and took it to the Falcons by the same score Monday as the Knights went after key points with an aggressive attitude.

The win over Saratoga not only earned Menlo a date with top-seed Monta Vista (24-3), but it qualified the Knights for the NorCal championships on Friday and Saturday at the Fremont Tennis Center.

Menlo was blanked by Monta Vista in last year's CCS and NorCal finals, 7-0. Shine, however, believes his team is ready to change that.

"All the hard work is starting to pay off," he said. "Just to win all the close matches (Monday) tells me they're getting the mental part down."

The Knights played four three-set matches against Saratoga. Sophomore Marjorie Adams won at No. 2 singles, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3; the No. 1 doubles team of seniors Amanda Pade and Ashley Carlisle won, 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-3; the No. 2 tandem of freshman Courtney Matteson and sophomore Mimi Huggins prevailed, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5; and the No. 3 team of sophomores Alicia Cha and Allison Carlisle won, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1.

Even junior Gaby Filipcik showed some mental toughness at No. 4 singles during a 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-2) victory.

Menlo junior Sarah Hoffman, who had lost to Saratoga freshman Kelly Lamble in Fresno, avenged that defeat with a 6-3, 6-4 win and junior Jennifer Goldman posted a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 3 singles to complete the triumph.

"I'm real proud of this team," Shine said.

For comparison sake, Saratoga ended Monta Vista's 45-match winning streak this season with a 4-3 win during SCVAL De Anza Division play.

Shine sees no reason why his team can't pull out a similar victory.

"Whoever goes after it will win," he said. "I'm looking forward to it. It'll be fun."

Fourth-seeded Sacred Heart Prep (19-7) saw its fine season end last Friday in a 5-2 loss to Mitty in the quarterfinals. Mitty lost to Monta Vista in Monday's semifinals, 6-1.

The loss marked the end of the prep careers of SHP seniors Mollie Parker, Lauren Evans and Nicky Budd-Thanos, all starters who helped the Gators win their first-ever West Catholic Athletic League title this season with a 14-0 record.

Girls volleyball

Menlo, Castilleja, Pinewood and Sacred Heart Prep all moved into the CCS semifinals following victories last weekend.

In Division IV, fourth-seeded Menlo (22-13) posted a 16-25, 25-22, 25-22, 21-25, 15-12 win over No. 5 Harker on Saturday at Burlingame High. The Knights will play No. 1 seed Valley Christian-San Jose in the Warriors' gym Wednesday at 8 p.m.

Seniors Ali Lycette (13 kills, 11 digs) and Nicole Curatola (11 kills) led the Knights while sophomore Natalie Sandman (11 kills), junior Allie Zamaria (42 assists, 12 digs), sophomore Katherine Gorman (18 digs) and freshman Abby Whelan (10 kills) contributed as well. Whelan returned to the lineup after missing nearly three weeks with a sprained ankle.

In Division V, top-seeded Castilleja (31-6) advanced with an easy 25-5, 25-6, 25-12 win over No. 8 Pacific Collegiate. The Gators will face No. 4 Mt. Madonna (9-14) in the semifinals on Thursday at Valley Christian at 8 p.m.

Seniors Ariel Baxterbeck (13 kills) and Alissa Flesher (nine kills) led the Gators, who are seeking their first CCS title.

"We are looking forward to SHP if we both get to the finals," said Castilleja coach Tracie Hubbard. "Their passing is better than it was earlier this year (in a loss to Castilleja) so we are looking forward to a good game against them."

In the 6 p.m. game at VCSJ, No. 2 Sacred Heart Prep (18-15) will face No. 6 Pinewood (15-12) in a local showdown. The Gators topped No. 7 St. Thomas More, 25-11, 25-10, 25-9 and the Panthers eliminated No. 3 King's Academy, 25-16, 25-19, 25-23 as Sami Andreacchi (18 kills) and Hannah Lippe (14 kills) led the way.

The Division V finals will be Saturday at West Valley College in Saratoga, likely at noon.

In the Division II playoffs, Gunn (19-13) gave No. 1 Mitty a battle before falling, 25-22, 25-14, 25-22. The Monarchs are ranked No. 6 in the nation. Gunn junior Samantha Rohman had nine kills to lead her team. The loss marked the final match for Gunn seniors Nicole Einfalt, Ashley Gardiner, Alex Graves, Maile Krauss and Lucy Lanza.

Boys water polo

Top-seeded Menlo (30-3) and No. 3 Sacred Heart Prep (24-9) reached the semifinals of the CCS Division II tournament and played in opposite brackets Tuesday.

The Knights faced No. 5 Soquel (23-6) and the Gators took on No. 7 Los Altos (23-10). The winners will play for the division championship Saturday at San Jose's Independence High at 10 a.m.

Menlo advanced with an 8-3 win over No. 8 Los Gatos as junior Ben Hohl led the way with four goals. Sacred Heart moved on with an 8-2 win over No. 6 Palo Alto (18-15) as senior Randy Ang tallied three goals.

In the Division I tournament, No. 4 Menlo-Atherton (21-10) eliminated No. 5 Leland in last Saturday's quarterfinals, 11-4, and will face top-seeded Bellarmine (28-5) on Wedndsday in a semifinal at Independence at 2 p.m.

Stephen Hicks, Peter Jacobs, Matt Bogott and Richard Hong all scored twice for the Bears, who have reach the CCS semifinals for only the third time in school history.

Sixth-seeded Gunn (22-10) saw its season end in a tough 7-6 loss to No. 3 Serra in the quarterfinals. The Titans were trailing with a minute left and called time to set up a play, but a shot by senior Kyle Gertridge hit the crossbar.

"We were just a few inches off on a few key key shots, a few key passes," said Gunn coach Mark Hernandez. "We played a good game, but we needed to be great."

Girls water polo

Top-seeded Sacred Heart Prep (30-1) met No. 5 Menlo-Atherton (25-8) in one semifinal on Tuesday and No. 2 Menlo (26-4) took on No. 3 St. Ignatius (24-8) in the other at St. Francis High.

The winners advanced to Saturday's championship match at Independence at 11:45 a.m.

Senior Christie Clark scored three goals in SHP's 10-5 quarterfinal win over St. Francis; M-A senior Kelly Eaton exploded for 10 goals in a 15-8 romp over Burlingame; and sophomore Cayley Bowles scored four times in Menlo's 12-5 triumph over Palo Alto (22-10) as all the favorites advanced.

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