High school teams take court for playoff openers

Members of the Estancia High boys’ tennis team asked Rachel de los Santos how much she knew about the Mark Keppel team, who the Eagles will face on the road today at 3 p.m. in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs. The response Monday was “not a lot.”

“I know absolutely nothing about them,” de los Santos said of the Alhambra-based school. “It’s hard when you reach CIF, especially when the schools aren’t in Orange County. I know they’re a much bigger school than we are. They won their league [the Almont League], but I don’t know about the other teams in their league.”

Three other Newport-Mesa area schools begin the playoffs today. Corona del Mar opens the CIF Division I playoffs at home against Servite, while Newport Harbor is on the road against top-seeded University.

In Division IV, Sage Hill plays host to Santiago of Corona in the first round at the Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club. All matches are scheduled for 3 p.m.

De los Santos’ Eagles reached the second round last year, and she said that’s also a good goal for this year’s team. Estancia is led by senior Bradley Fisher, who has won the Orange Coast League singles title each of the last two years.

The Eagles are also hoping to have the services of senior doubles player Chris Koreerat today. Koreerat, a team captain, sprained his ankle on Monday. De los Santos said Estancia has also called up its top junior varsity singles player, freshman Matt Thome.

The day is made more difficult because de los Santos said four Estancia tennis players will be in Advanced Placement tests all day prior to the Eagles leaving for Alhambra.

“It’s been a busy week for everyone,” she said.

For Newport Harbor, it’s a tough challenge to play against University, the defending Division I champ. But Coach Kristen Case said she’s proud of her team, the fourth-place squad out of the Sunset League that earned Division I’s lone at-large playoff berth.

She said she’ll likely decide this morning if she’ll switch up the Tars’ usual lineup in an attempt to stay with the Trojans.

“It’s a very, very tough draw, but the boys are ready to play,” Case said. “It’s kind of fun when you have no pressure and you can go out swinging.”

— Matt Szabo