Tars unleash beast

NEWPORT BEACH — “Unleash the beast.”

Newport Harbor High Coach Kristen Case has used that phrase in an attempt to motivate her girls’ tennis team. But it was actually an out call by El Modena that brought out the best in the Sailors during their second round CIF Southern Section Division II playoff match.

Seniors Natalie Small and Jeanne Frei were able to grab momentum after a heated dispute and went on to help lead the Sailors to an 11-7 victory Saturday at Newport Harbor.

The teams were tied, 6-6, after two rounds, but Case contended the controversy inspired her team to outscore the Vanguards, 4-1, in the final round.

“That big line-call dispute, it created a lot of drama,” Case said. “But I also think it was almost a blessing because it really fired up our girls up.”

Forget about unleashing a beast, that out call nearly unleashed a catfight.

El Modena sophomores Kellie Nguyen and Madelyn Koehly, the Vanguard’s No. 3 doubles team, said they did not expect Small and Frei to dispute and continue to argue about the call that Nguyen made that would’ve given them a 6-5 lead.

“Are you sure you want to call that out? That was clearly in,” Small told Nguyen. Then the arguing began. Players and parents watching also bickered. Coaches from both teams came to the court to try to settle the dispute, but it carried on for nearly five minutes.

The teams agreed to replay the point. Small and Frei won to go up, 6-5. Then the action went back and forth, deuce after deuce, ad-in, ad-out, until finally Frei hit two winners to give the Sailors’ No. 1 doubles team the win. The victory also tied the team score, 6-6.

“I just thought we really wanted it more,” Frei said. “That’s why we pushed harder and we really dug deep.”

On the other side of the net, Nguyen and Koehly didn’t feel so fired up about the out call and subsequent arguing.

“It made us feel a little down and emotional,” Nguyen said.

Small said Nguyen and Koehly were indecisive about the call, saying the girls said the ball was in at one point during the dispute, but then telling the coaches it was out.

“You can tell they totally knew it was in,” Small said. “It was so annoying.”

Koehly disagreed.

“We knew we were right about the call,” she said. “We didn’t want to back down. We knew we were right. It’s our call.

“They were pretty frustrated because we got our way. Before we let a couple balls that were out and we didn’t say anything about them. So I think they were probably mad about that too. I think they thought they would beat us much easier.”

Koehly was a big reason the Vanguards (11-5) stayed with the Sailors (19-3) for two rounds. She usually plays at No. 3 singles, but El Modena coaches Tom Welsh and Jim Schultz moved her to No. 3 doubles to try to strengthen their chances in doubles. It worked in the first round. The Vanguards beat Santa Monica on games, 78-72, after a 9-9 tie.

It nearly looked as if it would be another tie Saturday, but the Sailors turned it on in the third round.

Small and Frei, the only doubles team to sweep, defeated El Modena’s No. 2 doubles team Luba Sigaty and Kendall Hormuth, 6-0. Alex Aiello and Riley Mathies, the Sailors’ No. 3 doubles team, took out the Vanguard’s No. 1, Michelle Lissner and Amber Cazzell, 6-1. At that point, Newport Harbor us up, 8-7. Then, Newport Harbor senior Liz Cramer won in singles for the ninth point.

The Sailors clinched the victory with Nelly Radeva’s win. The senior No. 1 singles player swept for Harbor and improved to 22-0.

Newport Harbor’s No. 2 doubles team of Lauren Conway and Cynthia Waterman showed some fire in the final match of the day. They overcame a 5-2 deficit to beat Nguyen and Koehly, 7-7 (7).

Conway and Waterman won twice for Newport Harbor and Rebecca Arnold also picked up a win in singles.

Radeva will try to remain undefeated for the Sailors in the quarterfinals. However, they don’t know who they will play against. Top-seeded Santa Barbara is scheduled to play host to Diamond Bar Monday at 2 p.m. The teams’ match was postponed because of the fires in the area.

CIF Division II playoffs

Second round

Newport Harbor 11, El Modena 7

Singles – Radeva (NH) def. Hardebeck, 6-2, def. N. Koehly, 6-2, def. Crossman, 6-0; Cramer (NH) lost, 1-6, 2-6, won, 6-0; Arnold (NH) lost, 0-6, 0-6, won, 6-3.

Doubles – Small-Frei (NH) def. Lissner-Cazzell, 6-0, def. Sigaty-Hormuth, 6-0, def. M. Koehly-Nguyen, 7-5; Conway-Waterman (NH) won, 6-0, lost, 5-7, won, 7-6 (7); Aiello-Mathies (NH) won, 6-1, lost, 3-6, 4-6.