Granada Hills Ends Dolphins’ Reign

No. 2 Highlanders Sweep Singles Matches in 5-2 Upset at City Open Division Girls Tennis Finals 

By STEVE GALLUZZO |Sports Editor

All season long Palisades and Granada Hills seemed to be on a collision course to meet in the City Section Open Division girls tennis finals and the highly-anticipated showdown of perennial powers did not disappoint. The teams played for the championship for the eighth time in nine seasons last Tuesday morning at Balboa Sports Center in Encino and when the last ball was struck the Highlanders had captured their 12th City title while ending the Dolphins’ six-year reign.    

“Congratulations to Granada Hills,” Pali High Coach Bud Kling said afterwards. “You finally got us, but you don’t have to make a habit of it. Hopefully we’ll see you back in the finals next year.”

Granada Hills quickly won the first three singles matches to move within one point of victory in the best-of-seven format, but Emma Akiyama and Jade Finestone prevailed 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, at No. 1 doubles to give the Dolphins hope. Anaya Anyanbadejo and Nora Morlot won 6-2, 6-3 at No. 3 doubles to notch Palisades’ second point. However, a cruel twist of fate was in store for the defending champions, who were pursuing their 27th section crown and 20th under Kling, who took over the girls program in 1984 and owns a state-best 1,265 wins (boys and girls).

When the match exceeded its time limit on the courts reserved for the final the last two matches, already in progress, had to be relocated to different courts, creating a half-hour delay and squelching the Dolphins’ momentuum. As play resumed, the second-seeded Highlanders regrouped and clinched their first title since 2012 when Natalie Chung and Mikayla Kane outlasted Palisades’ Sarah Slavkin and Sophia Arvin at No. 2 doubles.     

With the outcome already decided Kling asked No. 4 singles player Kalea Martin and her counterpart Katie Cheng if they wanted to finish their match, which was tied at one set apiece. Both agreed to continue and Cheng took the third set 6-1 to make the final team score 5-2.

“We knew they were strong at the top of the lineup and we’d likely have to sweep the doubles and steal a point somewhere in singles,” Kling said. “Give them credit, they played tougher in key situations.”

The two schools have combined to win every City upper division title since 2002. Granada Hills won three in a row from 2002-04; Palisades won three straight from 2005-07; Granada Hills won five straight from 2008-12; and Palisades had won six consecutive titles (the last two in the City’s new four-team Open Division) going into this year.   

“I thought it might come down to my match,” said Martin, who helped Palisades win 4-3 last fall. “I hit a little better under pressure.”