Tennis Repeats as City Champs

Dolphins Dump Granada Hills for Second Straight Section Title

What separates Palisades High from its opponents is an intangible far more important than acquired skill or natural ability. It may not be noticeable on the court, but the Dolphins’ mystique is alive and well. Just ask Granada Hills. A long-anticipated final showdown pitting the top two tennis teams in the City Section quickly dissolved into a coronation for Palisades, which dominated in both singles and doubles to earn its second consecutive championship and 26th overall with a 19 1/2-10 victory Friday afternoon at Balboa Sports Center in Encino. “The key for us is that when we have to play our best, we’re able to raise our game,” said head coach Bud Kling, who has led the Dolphins to 16 boys titles since he took over the program in 1979. “That’s why we’ve been able to win so many times. We’ve built a tradition of winning. Our players expect to win.” From the moment the first ball was struck, top-seeded Palisades (16-0) played the big points better. The Dolphins won five out of six tiebreakers and the one they lost came late in the match, long after the outcome had been decided. “We’ve had Granada Hills on our radar from day one,” said senior Ben Tom, Palisades’ No. 1 player. “We figured we were probably going to meet them in the finals and we were honestly expecting a closer match.” Tom beat Granada Hills’ top player, Eric Lee, in a tiebreaker, then rallied from a 5-1 deficit and two service breaks to beat the Highlanders No. 2 player, Vinnie Amor, 7-6 (7-4). Each win was worth one point on the scoreboard, but their impact on the opponents’ psyche was just as important. “The whole match came down to a few big points and Palisades won them,” said Granada Hills’ third-year coach Simon Robertshaw. “You have to give them credit. I just hope their guys are sore tomorrow–especially the singles players.” The Dolphins seized control of the match by winning six of seven sets to gain 7 1/2 out of a possible 8 1/2 points in the first rotation of round robin. With a total of 29 1/2 points possible, the first team to reach 15 points wins. “Last year, it was all about ending El Camino Real’s dynasty,” said Palisades senior Seth Mandelkern, who teamed with junior Michael Light to sweep three sets at No. 2 doubles, the first of them in a tiebreaker. “They’d won five in a row and we were the underdogs, so beating them was sweet. This year we were the favorites, so it was about proving our dominance.” “It’s my 17th birthday today,” said Light, who won the City title on his birthday last year as well. “This is the best present anyone can give me.” Freshman Chase Pekar won two sets at No. 2 singles, junior Ariel Oleynik won three of four sets at No. 3 singles and senior Adam Deloje won a crucial tiebreaker at No. 4 singles for the Dolphins. Senior Stephen Surjue and junior Sepehr Safii swept 6-1, 7-6 (2), 6-1 at No. 1 doubles. Juniors George Hudak and Mason Hays won one set at No. 3 doubles. “We were pumping each other up the whole way over on the bus,” said Pekar, who is glad he chose Palisades over Loyola, where most of his friends from Corpus Christi went. “We had the attitude that we were going to win this together, as a team, and we did.” Robertshaw gambled by breaking up his No. 1 doubles team in an effort to bolster his singles lineup. He moved one of his best doubles players, Mark Lewin, to No. 3 singles, but the Highlanders’ fate was sealed when Lewin won only two of four sets and the player he replaced, Dustin Yu, failed to win a set at No. 3 doubles with partner Evan Kopel. “My strategy was to make sure Palisades had to earn each point. I didn’t want to give away any easy sets,” Robertshaw reasoned. “We needed to win between nine and 12 sets in singles and we only got six, so they won that battle.” Kling was surprised by his counterparts’ last-minute change. “He must not have been very confident that they could beat us with their normal lineup. To me, that sends the wrong message to your kids.” Lee swept his last three singles sets but it was too little, too late for the second-seeded Highlanders (14-2), who were vying for their first City title. “This is a great way to go out,” said Surjue, who will attend Howard University next fall. “Not only did we win, we dominated. We’re a stronger team top to bottom than we were last year.” So can the Dolphins make it three in a row next spring? “We’ll have a good chance,” Kling said. “We lose our best singles player and two of our top five doubles players but everyone else will be back. I’m so proud of this team because we played at such a high level all season. In terms of talent it’s not the best team I’ve ever had, but it’s one of the most consistent.”