Eagles are soaring against league foes

COSTA MESA ? The Eagles are lucky to have each other.

The Estancia boys’ tennis team continued to plow through the competition Orange served up Wednesday as the team won its 10th consecutive match, 14-4. The Eagles have won at least 14 sets in four of their last five matches.

The playoffs will be a different level of competition, but the Eagles (11-2, 9-0 in league and No. 7 in Division V) said they are prepared because they have each other. After winning their final set, 6-0, Scott Braunsdorf and Brad Fisher ? the team’s No. 1 and 2 singles players, respectively ? played against each other.

“They need that,” Estancia Coach Rachel De Los Santos said. “They need that someone to play up to.”

If it were not for playing Orange’s Steve Johnson ? the No. 17-ranked boys’ 18 singles player in Southern California ? it would have been the highest level of competition that day for Braunsdorf and Fisher. Johnson accounted for three of his team’s four wins, but Braunsdorf took a game off him for the first time in five attempts.

“He’s the best player I’ve ever played,” said Braunsdorf, who won his next two sets 6-0, 6-0. “You think you finally got a point and he’ll pop it back over.”

Fisher lost to Johnson as well and won his other two sets, 6-0.

“It was fun to play him,” Fisher said. “He hits everything back.”

Estancia’s top two doubles teams, both of which remained undefeated, have been keeping each other competitive differently. Three weeks ago, De Los Santos halted the practice matches ? used to determine the No. 1 team ? between the senior tandem of Chris Alvergue and Benny Edles and the freshman pair of Danny O’Neil and Ely Zaidler.

“I could have them play and on one day one would win and on the other day the other would win,” De Los Santos said.

Now, the No. 1 doubles team for each match is determined by how lost the least number of games in the previous match. The method, De Los Santos said, prepares both doubles teams for the playoffs, where not only sets, but games won are important.

A comeback to win, 7-5, produced excitement, but also meant Alvergue and Edles will surrender the top spot. Down, 4-0, the duo did what it has done many times this season, start singing.

“We don’t get too serious,” Edles said. “We just start goofing around.”

Then they started winning and after cutting the lead to 4-1, they knew they had the set.

“We keep each other up,” Alvergue said.

Alvergue and Edles said the pairing is the best doubles team they have played on. They even have code words to fake out the opponent.

“We play at each others’ level,” Alvergue said.

Depth has Estancia believing that the team can end a streak of two-consecutive first round exits from the CIF Southern Section Division V playoffs. Three years ago, the Eagles failed to make the playoffs.

Andy Nelson has moved from No. 3 singles to No. 3 doubles, where De Los Santos said he feels more comfortable. Josh Ross made the jump to No. 3 singles and solidified his place, winning two sets, 6-0 and 6-1.