By Pete Borello
Returning several key players from a girls tennis team that finished second in both Northern California and the Central Coast Section, Pinewood School would appear to be in good position to win its league and earn an automatic playoff berth.
Well, that’s half right.
The Panthers almost certainly will capture their league. However, doing so won’t necessarily get them into the postseason.
The reason: realignment.
The CCS has realigned the Private Schools Athletic League, leaving Pinewood in what coach Corinne Mansourian described as “a weird league.”
How weird?
The PSAL has been reduced to five schools for girls tennis, and two of them - The King’s Academy and St. Lawrence Academy - don’t even have teams. That leaves the Panthers to play just Fremont Christian and Redwood Christian.
“It’s ridiculous,” Mansourian said, “because the CCS says a league with under four teams is nonexistent.”
That means Pinewood will have to make the playoffs as an at-large team. And beating what Mansourian considers “two of the weaker teams in the CCS” three times each in league won’t help her team’s cause all that much. So the Panthers likely will need to win a majority of their non-league matches to garner an invitation and beat several quality opponents along the way to earn a favorable seed.
“We can’t screw up at all,” said Mansourian, whose team is off to a 5-1 start in dual matches and recently placed third in the challenging Santa Catalina Tournament. “We’ll probably still go to CCS, but then we also have to try and position ourselves based on results.”
As long as Lejla Hodzic is playing No. 1 singles, the Panthers should have plenty of positive results this season. The junior is ranked 15th in the nation among girls 18 and under and was a CCS singles finalist last season. Mansourian said, “On paper, Lejla is the No. 1 player in the CCS.”
Hodzic doesn’t play every match for Pinewood, though, because she is often preparing for international tournaments this time of year.
But when Hodzic is in the lineup and healthy (she struggled with a sore back last season and is coming off a summer ankle injury), the Panthers almost have a guaranteed win at the top spot.
While they haven’t received the same notoriety, Pinewood’s other singles players know how to swing the racket as well.
Mele Pelea and Jessica Goldband play either No. 2 or 3 singles; Liz Ashby holds down the No. 4 spot. All three are returning players.
Pelea entered this week with a 11-0 record, and Goldband came in at 7-3.
“They have different styles,” Mansourian said of the two sophomores, “but they’re very even.”
Ashby, a junior who also plays basketball, “is a grinder,” the seventh-year coach said, “and a good athlete with a tough mental game.”
Anne Yeh is back to play No. 1 doubles, but with a new partner (Irene Guerra graduated) in fellow senior Jackie Tsui.
Austina Allende, who missed the past two seasons with knee injuries, plays at No. 2 with the improving Katie Swiss. Both players are juniors.
Sophomores Marina Nekheadzy and Bette Edwards are at No. 3.
Mansourian concedes this is “a little bit of a rebuilding year in doubles” and that her players need to learn how to perform better under pressure.
If that happens, the Panthers may find themselves back in the CCS final.
“I hope to finish in the top four in the CCS,” Mansourian said, “but we could be as high as the top two.”
The Panthers on Friday routed visiting Harker Academy 7-0.
Pinewood has a bye this week and returns to action Oct. 9 with a 3:30 p.m. match at former league foe Castilleja.
