By Pete Borello

Pinewood School’s Stephanie Herrmann will play in the No. 1 position this season and has won all but two of her matches.

The Pinewood School girls tennis team has gone through some significant changes since last season, yet the Panthers’ remain as competitive as ever.

Despite losing two key players and its longtime coach, Pinewood appears headed for another undefeated league season and deep run into the playoffs.

The Panthers, who haven’t dropped a Private Schools Athletic League match this millennium, improved to 5-0 with last week’s win over Redwood Christian. This put their overall record at 12-4.

The graduation of singles standouts Lejla Hodzic (now swinging her racket for Stanford University) and Liz Ashby (team MVP) hasn’t hindered Pinewood. Neither has a change in coaches: Craig Corfield replaced Corinne Mansourian, who stepped down after eight years at the helm.

“I was dealt a good hand,” said Corfield, in his first stint coaching high school after 10 years as a country-club pro. ” … I have some good players; the senior gals have really helped me out with suggestions that have made things go smoother.”

Corfield said he enjoys coaching the veteran team, noting his players “all taking coaching very well.”

The team’s depth and experience is especially evident in singles, where all four starters are ranked among the top 25 in their respective age groups by the Northern California Tennis Association.

Stephanie Herrmann, who played right below Hodzic last year, is thriving at the No. 1 spot. The senior has won all but two of her matches this season.

“She’s a tough competitor who’s very focused and doesn’t really get rattled,” Corfield said. “She plays tournaments all the time and is very match-tough.”

No. 2 player Elizabeth Williamson, who moves up one spot from a year ago, has lost just once.

“She’s similar to Stephanie - she’s a workhorse all the time,” Corfield said of the junior. “She’ll be a very solid No. 1 player next year.”

No. 3 player Mele Pelea also has only one blemish on her record.

“She’s like the silent killer,” Corfield sid. “She doesn’t show a lot of emotion or make a fuss out of things - she just whips people’s butts for the most part.”

Fellow senior Jessica Goldband is at No. 4, where she’s lost twice in limited action (hamstring injury).

“She seems to be coming back and impressed me more than anybody at Santa Catalina,” the coach said. “She was just nailing it.”

Goldband claimed one of the four championship trophies Pinewood took home from the Santa Catalina Tournament earlier this month. Pelea, Williamson and the No. 2 doubles team of Maxine Lim and Alisa Vea also captured their round-robin draws at the tourney, which the Panthers won over a bevy of top teams from throughout the Central Coast Section.

Lim, a freshman, and Alisi Vea, a junior, have proven to be a formidable (one loss) - and entertaining - doubles team.

“They’re just this neat combination,” Corfield said. “Every point they win, its like they’ve won Wimbledon.”

The top team of Katie Swiss and Bette Edwards may not celebrate with the same fervor, but they’re winning at almost the same rate. The seniors, who won the league doubles title and reached the CCS quarterfinals last year, have two losses this season.

“They’re a good team - very solid - and they’re tight friends,” Corfield said. “Katie is more of a pressure player and Bette is more relaxed.”

Swiss is a team captain, along with Herrmann.

The third and final doubles spot “is still up in the air,” Corfield said. Senior Marina Nekhendzy and sophomore Mithya Srinivasan “are the most consistent and will probably be in the lineup for the league playoffs.”

With the playoffs on the horizon, the coach knows the Panthers’ performance in doubles could decide how far they advance.

“It may come down to it,” Corfield conceded. “But if Katie and Bette hang in and play their best tennis, they certainly have a fighting chance. And Alisi and Maxine are getting better and better.”

Pinewood may be getting a playoff preview Monday when undefeated Monta Vista visits for a non-league match slated for 3:30 p.m.

“We’ll hang with them in singles,” Corfield said, “but doubles will be tough - they have ranked players all the way down.”

Pinewood has been begging for such competition after losing just one set against PSAL opponents this year.

“It’s killing our girls,” Corfield said of playing in perhaps the weakest league in the section. “This is the time of the year we need to be preparing for CCS. The league gets us unready for CCS.”

Mansourian had the same concerns when she coached Pinewood and desperately wanted to move the team into a stronger league. The Panthers still achieved postseason success, however, and reached the CCS semifinals in 2003.

Can Corfield take Pinewood as far this year?

“That’s an experience question, and I don’t know the other teams well,” he said. “But if we play like we can, we’re probably a top-five team.”