Pali Tennis Tops LACES, 6-1

From the moment the first ball was struck, it was clear that the Palisades High girls’ varsity tennis team was playing with a little extra motivation in last Wednesday’s Western League opener. In a showdown against defending league champion Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies, the Dolphins used a doubles sweep and a gutsy comeback by Jessie Corneli to rout the visiting Unicorns 6-1. Katie Takakjian and Charlotte Farrant, who went undefeated in league last season, continued their streak with a 8-0 victory at No. 1 doubles; Julie Takakjian and Emily Wettleson won by the same score at No. 2; and Dalia Shamsian and Katie Pfannkuche won 8-1 at No. 3. In singles, junior Yvonne Lokomanova scored the only point for LACES when she overcame a 4-1 deficit to beat Pali’s Samantha Kogan at No. 1 singles. However, Perri Zaret won 8-4 at No. 3 singles and Katie Vincent won 8-2 at No. 4 singles for the Dolphins. Corneli had to wait over two hours before stepping on the court to face LACES senior Daisha Matthews, whom she played as a freshman in a match that got so contentious that Dolphins’ Coach Sean Passan was forced to halt the match before it was completed. This time, the Palisades junior fell behind 6-1 but changed her strategy in time to win 8-6. “I started hitting more forehands crosscourt,” Corneli said. “When I was ahead 7-6 I felt confident but you can’t really ever think you’ve got it won or you’ll lose. Honestly, it’s just good to win in general. We know we’re the better team.” After holding serve for a 7-6 lead, Corneli broke Matthews to close out the 8-6 victory. Volleyball Monday was the hottest day in Los Angeles in 20 years, but the temperature outside could not match the heat inside the Palisades High gym, where the girls varsity volleyball team fell to Venice, 25-23, 9-25, 25-23, 13-25, 15-9. Palisades gets another crack at its archrival October 18. Two days earlier, at the La Jolla Beach Invitational, the Dolphins edged Woodland Hills Taft, 25-23, 25-27, 15-8, in a battle of teams that could meet in the City Section Division II finals.