Friends Hope to Help Hockicko’s Scholarship Campaign

The campaign to find Woodbridge’s Adriana Hockicko a college tennis scholarship has officially begun, but the candidate has yet to make her first speech.

Hockicko’s coach, Ric Barth, and her best friend and tournament doubles partner, Mater Dei’s Melissa Esmero, are trying to get the word out that she is worthy of a Division I scholarship. But Hockicko, last year’s Southern Section doubles champion with Danielle Hustedt, has yet to send out any college applications, and her campaign speech needs some work.

“I want to play tennis in college, but I don’t know if I’m good enough,� said Hockicko, who is 31-5 in singles and 15-3 in doubles this season for the second-ranked Warriors. “There are some really good players in college tennis. I’m a little shaky right now, especially with my singles.�

That would be news to some of the players Hockicko has defeated this year, including Palos Verdes Peninsula’s Shilpa Joshi (6-2), Sunny Hills’ Joanna Kao (6-1), Mater Dei’s Mary Hung and University’s Aimee Kim and Etel Bugescu.

Hockicko’s only losses have come to Esmero, Dana Hills’ Kate Romm, Newport Harbor’s Natalie Braverman and Audra Adams and Santa Margarita’s Erin Miller. Esmero and Adams have already committed to USC and Mississippi, respectively. Romm and Miller are being recruited by several Division I colleges and Braverman is one of the top 16-year-olds in the nation.

“She’s as good as most of these girls getting full tickets,� Barth said of Hockicko. “Adriana can’t even get a phone call. I don’t know what these guys are looking for.�

Actually, Hockicko has received at least one call. She said UC Irvine Coach Mike Edles has contacted her. She plans to take an unofficial visit to UCI next week.

Part of Hockicko’s problem is her low ranking, which means she isn’t getting much exposure among college tennis coaches. She is 74th in Southern California in the girls’ 18 singles division and she isn’t ranked nationally. Doubles rankings aren’t released until the end of the year, which is too bad for Hockicko, who would probably be ranked first in Southern California with Esmero.

Hockicko and Esmero won the Southern California Junior Sectional and the Los Caballeros Racquet Club tournaments, and reached the finals of Ojai.

“I practice more doubles and I think it’s more fun,� Hockicko said. “I like having someone on the court with you.�

Most high school players don’t like the companionship of doubles and can’t volley well enough to sustain rallies. That makes Hockicko unique and would seemingly make her a hot commodity in college tennis, where doubles matches are equal to singles matches.

“Everything came back over the net when they hit to Adriana [at the junior sectionals],� Esmero said. “I’m like ‘Dang, girl, you’re carrying me.’ �

But now it might be Esmero’s job to carry her partner. With a scholarship in hand, she has time to make a pitch for her friend.

“Adriana deserves a scholarship and I’ll do everything in my power to get her one,� Esmero said.

AGEE GOES OUT WITH A BANG

Esperanza awarded longtime Coach Jean Agee with a perfect going-away present last week--a victory over 10-time Sunset League champion Los Alamitos.

Agee, who is retiring after 30 years, sweated it out while her No. 1 doubles team of Jenny Grob and Christine Pham rallied from a 5-4 deficit to win, 7-5, and give the Aztecs a 10-8 victory. Had the match gone to games, the Aztecs would have lost in the same fashion they did to Los Alamitos earlier in the season.

“I told the girls, ‘If you ever get me a retirement gift, please let it be a win over Los Al,’ � Agee said. “What a wonderful send-off.�

If the Aztecs (16-2, 8-1 in league) defeat Fountain Valley Monday, they will tie Los Alamitos for the league title and go into the Division I playoffs as the league’s top-seeded team because of their 19-17 set advantage in head-to-head competition.

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Girls’ Tennis

Southern Section Coaches’ Poll:

(Released Oct. 25)

Division I--1. Palos Verdes Peninsula, 2. Newport Harbor, 3. Dana Hills, 4. Capistrano Valley, 5. Corona del Mar, 6. Upland, 7. Redlands East Valley, 8. Chino Hills Ayala, 9. Santa Maria Righetti 10. Redlands.

Division II--1. Woodbridge, 2. Troy, 3. Mater Dei, 4. Beverly Hills, 5. Sunny Hills, 6. Santa Barbara San Marcos, 7. Santa Barbara, 8. University, 9. El Dorado, 10. Cypress.

Division III--1. Palm Desert, 2. North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake, 3. Santa Margarita, 4. Laguna Hills, 5. Garden Grove, 6. Westlake Village Westlake, 7. Whittier La Serna, 8. Glendora St. Lucy’s, 9. Agoura, 10. Brea Olinda.

Division IV--1. San Marino, 2. Calabasas, 3. San Luis Obispo, 4. Rosary, 5. West Hills Chaminade, 6. West Covina South Hills, 7. Santa Ynez, 8. South Pasadena, 9. Covina Gladstone, 10. Western.

Division V--1. Laguna Beach, 2. Carpinteria Cate, 3. Pasadena Poly, 4. Santa Maria St. Joseph, 5. Brentwood, 6. Los Angeles Marlborough, 7. North Hollywood Campbell Hall, 8. Thousand Oaks La Reina, 9. Claremont Webb, 10. Bishop Union.