By Pete Borello
 Joe Hu/Town Crier Sasha Chattamanokul plays No. 2 singles. |
Youth is being served - and doing the serving - at Pinewood School. The Panthers’ varsity girls tennis team is among the youngest in the Central Coast Section, comprising six freshmen, four sophomores, a junior and a senior.
“This team is great - lots of freshmen but lots of heart,” Pinewood head coach Craig Corfield said.
It’s been a winning combination for the Panthers, who last week wrapped up another Private Schools Athletic League championship. Pinewood went undefeated in the league (8-0) for the second year in a row under Corfield.
Last year, however, the Panthers claimed the PSAL title with a veteran team featuring seven seniors. They reached the quarterfinals of the Central Coast Section playoffs, losing 4-3 to St. Francis High, and posted an 18-6 overall record.
Even if his current team (10-6 overall) fails to match the success of last year’s squad, Corfield won’t be disappointed.
“We may not go too far in CCS,” Pinewood’s second-year coach said, “but we have had a great year.”
The Panthers played their final home match of the regular season Oct. 25, sweeping PSAL foe Fremont Christian 7-0. Top player Elizabeth Williamson, Pinewood’s lone senior, cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 win over Jessica Otavis.
“She was a co-captain and a huge part of the team’s success,” Corfield said of Williamson, who plans to attend college in Switzerland.
The Nos. 2, 3 and 4 singles players also notched straight-set wins for the Panthers: sophomore Sasha Chattamanokul (6-3, 6-0), freshman Lindsey Nickel (6-3, 6-2) and freshman Nicky Dulman (6-2, 6-0).
Pinewood’s top two doubles teams pulled off easy victories as well: sophomore Liza Belogolovsky and junior Mithya Srinivason won 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1; freshmen Courtney Buchanan and Courtney Sanders prevailed 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2. The third doubles team got more of a workout, as sophomore Abby Cilker and freshman Jennie Endersby won 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.
Pinewood now moves on to CCS, with opening-round matches scheduled for next week.
Seniors lead LA to win
“I’m proud of their effort - the seniors won that match,” Duong said of the Oct. 25 contest. “Even without Sam’s score, we would have won. It’s good for them to end on a positive note and leave with good memories.”
Beyond sophomore Lam’s 6-1, 6-0 rout at No. 1, the Eagles received a singles win at No. 4 from Julie Virchenko in her first match of the season. Los Altos swept the doubles, getting wins from Sara Pawloski and Gina Wong at No. 1, Carolyn Whitesell and Tessa Ameri at No. 2 and Laura Beyer and Rachel Kellman at No. 3.
Los Altos improved to 7-9 overall and 3-8 in the SCVAL De Anza Division. Duong admitted that the Eagles’ fifth-place finish in league was lower than he had anticipated from this year’s veteran team.
“Some of the teams we expected to beat, like Homestead, we didn’t,” the coach said.
As for bright spots, Duong mentioned sophomore Ting-Ting Liu, “who got a good amount of playing time at No. 2 and that will help us next year.”
The Eagles’ three other underclassmen also gained a lot of match experience, Duong added, and that bodes well for the future of the program.
“I think next year we’ll be better,” he said. “We’ll definitely be more competitive next year.”
