CCS TENNIS: Moving closer to title

Menlo School girls have the motivation in CCS semifinals

by Keith Peters

If motivation is worth anything, the Menlo School girls tennis team just may earn its first-ever Central Coast Section title on Monday. The Knights certainly have the proper incentive today, heading into their CCS semifinal match against Santa Catalina at the Courtside Tennis Club in Los Gatos at 2:30 p.m.

The teams haven't faced each other since the 1995 CCS championship match, which Santa Catalina won with a 4-3 victory. Since then, Menlo coach Bill Shine has tried to schedule the team from Monterey, but to no avail.

"I offered to go down there," Shine explained. "It just didn't work out, which is unfortunate because I think the best teams should play each other."

That opportunity finally will present itself today when No. 2-seeded Santa Catalina (20-0) and No. 3 seed Menlo (18-1) test their depth and talent.

Shine believes Santa Catalina has the best four singles players in the CCS, but that Menlo's doubles tandems should hold forth. They key, Shine said, could be at No. 3 and 4 singles, and No. 1 doubles.

Shine, however, isn't conceding the No. 1 or 2 singles matches--even though Catherine Hawley of Santa Catalina is ranked No. 1 in the singles draw of next week's CCS individual tournament.

Menlo juniors Michi Bittner and Tracy Cheung played in that CCS title match two years ago, Cheung losing at No. 1 and Bittner winning at No. 4. Both should have plenty of motivation--Cheung to avenge that defeat and Bittner to show what kind of singles player she is before joining with partner Alison Dohrmann for the CCS doubles competition.

Bittner apparently thrives when properly motivated. That seemed the case Wednesday during Menlo's 6-1 quarterfinal victory over Los Altos on the Knights' courts.

A newspaper article was printed earlier Wednesday on Los Altos freshman Lena Sherbakov, praising the youngster's 22-0 record and noting that she may be better off skipping high school tennis in the future, for lack of competition.

"I think that article really got Michi going," Shine said. "I think Michi said, 'Hey, I'm good, too.'"

Bittner, who had lost to Sherbakov in three sets earlier this season during a Menlo victory, appeared on a personal crusade against the freshman. Bittner blitzed her opponent, 6-1, to open the match but fell behind 5-1 in the second. At that point, Bittner put on a furious rally to pull out a 7-5 victory.

"Michi played the match of her life," Shine said. "She was driven today. She had a look that I hadn't seen before, but I hope I see it again Friday."

If Bittner can pull out an upset at No. 1 singles, that may be enough to turn the match around. Freshman Nancy Mok and sophomore Jessica Leutzinger at No. 3 and 4 singles are equal to the task, as are Menlo's doubles teams, which swept Los Altos.

"I think it'll go 4-3, either way," Shine said of the match, will may pit the best two teams in the CCS. "If we're going to win it all, we have to go through Santa Catalina at some point."

A victory today will send Menlo to Monday's championship match at Courtside at 2:30 p.m., most likely against Leland. It was the Chargers who handed the Knights their only loss of the season, in Menlo's second match of the year.

Injuries and an unsettled lineup contributed to that loss. Menlo would like nothing better to prove that the defeat to Leland then was a fluke.

Nothing like having the proper motivation.

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