Pali High girls tennis coach Sean Passan talks about his team’s depth this season.
The primary objective is the same every season for the Palisades High girls tennis team: win the City Section championship. This year, though, Coach Sean Passan has a loftier goal — to get past the first round in the Southern California Regional playoffs.
Having dethroned Granada Hills last fall, the Dolphins are determined to defend their City crown and Passan believes this is his deepest, most talented team yet. So deep, in fact, that he pared down the roster and said no one is guaranteed playing time. Every player must earn her spot and Passan has been overseeing challenge matches this week to determine who will be in the Dolphins’ lineup for their opener September 9 against Beverly Hills.
“The girls coming back are excited to go get another City title,” Passan said. “Our captains have been great leaders in the offseason and we have a few new ninth graders and a few transfers to help us maybe win that first round in the So Cal Regionals, which no Pali team has ever done before.”
This season’s captains are senior Izzy Guterson and juniors Madeline Prins and Lizzie Belokonnyi, all three of whom will play doubles. Returners include seniors Diana Silvers, Alexandra Kugler and Honour Norman, juniors Morgan Swan, Natasha Bure, Olivia Stutman and Selin Sindel and sophomore Abby Schleichkorn.
Adding to the depth are Ilana Oleynik, a senior transfer from Malibu High who reached the 18-and-under doubles final at Ojai in April; Julia Holtback-Yeter, a sophomore who moved from Sweden a few weeks ago; and Ally Williams, a sophomore transfer who played No. 1 singles last season at Huntington Beach.
Throw into the mix highly-ranked USTA player Caroline Vincent (who is likely to play singles) and fellow freshman Taylor Barfield and you have the makings of a championship-caliber squad. Only time will tell if the Dolphins live up to Passan’s high expectations, but with their first match around the corner we’ll find out soon enough.
— Steve Galluzzo
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