Daily Pilot High School Female Athletes of the Week: Freyman and McKinney delivered for CdM
The tears came quickly for Corona del Mar High girls’ tennis senior Emily Freyman on Saturday afternoon at the Claremont Club, but these were definitely tears of joy.
Freyman and her doubles partner Bella McKinney had just won the clinching match for CdM in the CIF USTA Southern California Regional final. Their 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Arcadia’s Aubrie Weissbuch and Francesca Yao at No. 3 doubles was the fourth match won in CdM’s 4-3 victory.
It enabled the CIF Southern Section Division 1 champion Sea Kings (26-0) to finish a perfect season. As teammates rushed onto the court to celebrate, Freyman thought it was a fitting close to her high school tennis career.
“That was just such an important match to end on,” she said. “There was a lot riding on it. Nice little storybook ending.”
Freyman’s tears also caused McKinney, a junior, to start crying. McKinney thought about how it was the final match for her senior teammates and best friends, players like Freyman, doubles player Brooke Kenerson and USC-bound singles player Danielle Willson.
“Emily, Brooke and Danielle are literally my three best friends in the whole world, and they’re all seniors,” McKinney said. “When Emily started crying, it was just kind of a reality check that next year’s not going to be the same. Finishing it off this way was the best thing ever.”
The emotions made sense for Freyman and McKinney, who are the Daily Pilot High School Female Athletes of the Week. In a way, it was also fitting that they clinched the match at No. 3 doubles for the Sea Kings. Every match counts the same in the regional format of four singles matches and three doubles matches, but their win showcased the depth that allowed CdM to have an undefeated season.
Sea Kings coach Jamie Gresh was comfortable putting Freyman and McKinney together for the regional tournament, though it was just their third time playing doubles together this season. Last year, they played together all season at No. 3 doubles.
McKinney had a 53-4 doubles record this season, playing mainly with CdM junior Roxy MacKenzie. Freyman moved in and out of the starting lineup on her way to a 27-5 record.
“I knew that was one of the combinations I could come back to,” Gresh said. “I feel like they both have improved a lot from last year, and I was comfortable with their familiarity with each other. Bella has the better forehand, but Emily has the better backhand. Emily takes care of the back of the court, and Bella’s more comfortable in the front of the court.
“I feel like they both served really well in the final, too. I felt like a lot of first serves were going in with some zip on them, and we were getting some return errors.”
The Sea Kings had breezed to the regional final, with a 7-0 first-round win over Clovis North and a 7-0 semifinal win over Palos Verdes Peninsula. But the championship match against Arcadia was tension-packed.
CdM quickly got wins at No. 3 singles from Annika Bassey and No. 4 singles from MacKenzie. After Willson rallied in the second set for a 6-2, 6-4 win over Arcadia’s Rachelle Yang at No. 1 singles, the Sea Kings needed just one more win.
Freyman and McKinney had split sets, as had CdM’s Kristina Evloeva in her No. 2 singles match against Michelle Deng. On the changeover, Gresh decided to tell Freyman and McKinney the situation.
“As a coach, you kind of wonder, should I tell them where the match is at or should I not?” Gresh said. “I think as a coach, the kids need to know. Sometimes they’re waiting for someone else to bail them out.”
Evloeva ended up losing in three sets, so the Sea Kings needed Freyman and McKinney to come through. They fell behind 2-3 in the final set, before winning four straight games. McKinney served out the match.
It’s something that we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.
— CdM’s Bella McKinney
McKinney said she came into the match with confidence, as she and MacKenzie had beaten Weissbuch and Yao when the Sea Kings played Arcadia in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinals. She and Freyman also delivered when the team needed it most.
“We left it all out on the court,” Freyman said. “I was definitely playing at my highest level all year, because I knew so much was riding on it. I wanted to show what I’ve learned these last four years, and put it all together for this last time.”
Gresh has said he believes the 2017 CdM girls’ tennis team was special, one that will be remembered years down the road. In the Division 1 title match against rival University, the Sea Kings clinched the win quietly at the start of the third go-round.
The regional title was different. Everyone got to storm the court, celebrating a magical season for one last time. Freyman and McKinney, who were both three-year starters on varsity, were right in the middle of it.
“It’s something that we’ll remember for the rest of our lives,” McKinney said.
*
Emily Freyman
Born: Nov. 6, 1999
Hometown: Newport Coast
Height: 5 feet 3
Sport: Tennis
Year: Senior
Coach: Jamie Gresh
Favorite food: Pasta
Favorite movie: “The Breakfast Club”
Favorite athletic moment: With partner Bella McKinney, earning the clinching win in CdM’s 4-3 win over Arcadia in the CIF USTA Southern California Regional title match Saturday at the Claremont Club.
Week in review: Freyman and McKinney defeated Arcadia’s Aubrie Weissbuch and Francesca Yao 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to clinch the CIF USTA Southern California Regional title for CdM. Freyman went 2-0 in the regional tournament in doubles.
*
Bella McKinney
Born: Jan. 5, 2001
Hometown: Newport Coast
Height: 5 feet 4
Sport: Tennis
Year: Junior
Coach: Jamie Gresh
Favorite food: Pasta
Favorite movie: “She’s the Man”
Favorite athletic moment: With partner Emily Freyman, earning the clinching win in CdM’s 4-3 win over Arcadia in the CIF USTA Southern California Regional title match Saturday at the Claremont Club.
Week in review: McKinney and Freyman defeated Arcadia’s Aubrie Weissbuch and Francesca Yao 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to clinch the CIF USTA Southern California Regional title for CdM. McKinney went 3-0 in the regional tournament in doubles.
Twitter: @mjszabo
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.
