Sailors swing to easy victory

The Newport Harbor High girls tennis team won dominantly at home

against Irvine High Thursday afternoon, 18-0, in a Sea View League

match.

Newport Harbor debuted this week in the CIF Southern Section

Division I rankings at No. 10.

Thursday, the Sailors showed why they belonged there.

Irvine came into the match with a record of 0-14, and 0-4 in

league. If ever a team needed an easy match, it was Irvine.

However, Newport Harbor was not in a charitable mood.

All of the matches were decidedly in the Sailors favor. The

closest the winless Vaqueros came was winning three games in a match.

The team of Sasha Dunlap and Chrissy Schwartz swept their sets

nearly flawlessly. The juniors lost only one game en route to winning

their sets, 6-0, 6-1, 6-0.

Seniors Jill Casserly and Carly Adams each won all three of their

singles sets in dominating fashion.

Casserly won her sets 6-0, 6-2, and 6-0. Adams, not to be outdone,

won her sets 6-1, 6-3, 6-1.

The doubles team of Natalie Small and Melissa Chinn also

outmatched their opponents, winning their sets, 6-1, 6-2, and 6-1.

Megan McKay and Alex McIntosh swept their sets, 6-1, 6-0, 6-2.

The landslide win made Newport Harbor assistant coach Brooke

Taylor’s job that much easier.

Taylor was standing in for Sailor Coach Fletcher Olson, who was

out of town.

“All of the girls played well. They came out and gave their best

performances,” Taylor said.

“I was especially impressed with Brittany Cluck, she came off the

bench and really stepped up for us today,” Taylor said.

Cluck came in and won two sets, 6-1 and 6-0, against the Vaqueros.

Newport Harbor couldn’t give away a set.

After the first round, Newport Harbor substituted Cluck for

Brittanny Sturgess. There was a miscommunication as to which players

were to play which opponent.

At the beginning of the third round, Cluck and Casserly both

intended to play Irvine’s Marisa Takeuchi.

Irvine High Coach Gary Russell diffused the situation by

substituting one of his reserves and everyone walked away content.

Newport Harbor (10-1, 5-0 in league) will play their next match

Tuesday at Laguna Hills in a Sea View League showdown.