First Loss Comes Last for Pali High Tennis

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Redemption was what the Palisades High boys tennis team was playing for last Friday at The Claremont Club.

Having already captured the Fresno Classic, the National All-American and their ninth straight City Section crown, the Dolphins were hoping to complete a perfect season by taking first place at the Southern California Regional tournament.

After an easy 5-2 triumph over San Marino in the first round, the top-seeded Dolphins faced their toughest challenge of the year in fourth-seeded Torrey Pines–a semifinal showdown that players on both sides were anticipating ever since Palisades lost to Torrey Pines in the finals of the National All-American last spring.

“It’s been a great season, but this would be the cherry on top,” junior Diego Huttepain said before the best-of-seven battle began. “We want to go undefeated and those guys are standing in our way.”

UCLA-bound Lucas Bellamy, who won the City Individual singles title two weeks before, played despite an injured wrist, teaming with Alex Strohmeier at No. 1 doubles. The Dolphins’ chances were hindered even further when Lucas’ younger brother Lincoln pulled a stomach muscle in the first game of  his match at No. 2 doubles with Jack Harrington.

Strohmeier and Lucas Bellamy won the first two games, but fell 6-2, 6-0. Half an hour later, Harrington and Lincoln Bellamy  lost 6-2, 6-2 and when the third duo of Danilo Milic and Jordan Seibel fell 6-3, 6-4, the Dolphins found themselves in an 0-3 hole.

“We’ve had things go our way all year and it’s unfortunate we’re not fully healthy today,” Pali High Coach Bud Kling said. “If we can sweep the singles, we may pull it off but that’ll be very tough given their lineup.”    

The Dolphins showed they were not about to go down without a fight, as Henry Lovett let out a victory scream after notching his team’s first point with a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 4 singles. Thirty seconds later, Huttepain let loose his own battle cry after wrapping up a 6-2, 6-1 win at the No. 3 position to pull Palisades within a point at 3-2.

When Jake Sands took the first set off Torrey Pines’ top player Jacob Brumm, it looked like the Dolphins might pull off a miracle comeback after all.

Meanwhile, Jake’s older brother RJ was locked in a tense  struggle with Torrey Pines’ Alex Rushin at the No. 2 singles spot. Sands lost the first set 6-4 and was broken early in the second, but he shrugged off leg cramps to take a 4-3 lead before Rushin rallied to take the last three games and secure the Falcons’ spot in Saturday’s final against Harvard-Westlake.

Trailing 5-2 in the second set, Jake Sands retired with the outcome having already been decided. Palisades finished 30-1.