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Sports

St. Margaret's Is Edged From Tennis Playoffs

Tartans tie fourth-seeded Valencia of Placentia in sets at 9-9, but Tigers have edge in games, 81-76, and advance to CIF Southern Section Division 3 finals.

A week ago, St. Margaret’s boys tennis team won a quarterfinal match decided by number of games won.  The Tartans forced another tie in their semifinals match, but the numbers didn’t add up for them on Tuesday.

St. Margaret’s was unable to retain the magic it had in its close quarterfinal victory as the Tartans tied Valencia of Placentia, 9-9, in sets but lost in games, 81-76,  in the Southern Section CIF Division 3 semifinals at the Rancho San Clemente Tennis Club. 

As the match began, St. Margaret’s players seemed to benefit from the home-court advantage.  With alumni, students and faculty members in attendance, consistent shouts of encouragement rang out after key points. The Tartans used this momentum to jump to an early lead.

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“Any sport has a home-field advantage, even tennis,” St. Margaret’s coach Rick Trager said. “We play better at home.  The ball bounces well on these courts.  [Rancho San Clemente] is a tennis club and it’s a lot better than some of the high schools we play at.”

The support helped St. Margaret’s senior Michael Friedman in his first-round singles match against Valencia freshmen Matt Pham. Friedman controlled the points with solid ground strokes. The focused effort from the Tartans' No. 3 singles player provided their only singles victory of the match, 6-3.

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Friedman’s victory gave St. Margaret's a 4-2 edge after the first round of play.

Unseeded St. Margaret’s came in as the underdog to fourth-seeded Valencia, the champion of the Empire League. The Tigers (20-3) defeated Oaks Christian, 14-4, in the quarterfinals.

Valencia coach Mike McCall was not thrilled with his team's start on Tuesday. “We look tight,” he said. “St. Margaret’s looks real solid.”

The Tartans' doubles play has been its strength all season and Tuesday afternoon was no different.  They won eight of the nine doubles sets.

Senior Nick Geller and sophomore Andrew Torok are the Tartan’s No. 1 team and they swept their sets, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.  The duo was more skilled than their opponents but their main advantage came from sheer athleticism.

Torok is a three-sport athlete at St. Margaret’s. He plays wide receiver and strong safety on the football team in the fall, he wrestles in the winter and hits overhand smashes in the spring. 

“Playing others sports helps with competitiveness," Torok said."I know how to keep my mind in the game. In CIF, Nick and I have just been clicking.”

The Tartans, who advanced further in the playoffs than they have in the past four years, have several multiple sports athletes on their roster, including Nick Geller (water polo) and senior Mitch Marmalstein (basketball).  St. Margaret’s seemed to be the more athletic team, but the tennis skills of Valencia proved to be too much to overcome.

During a crucial second-round match between St. Margaret’s doubles team of junior Alex Ramadan and freshmen Alistair Hurry and Valencia's No. 1 team of  juniors Daniel Kim and Lindsey Youngquist, with St. Margaret's ahead in sets, 6-5, and the match tied at 4-4, the Tartans duo was able to push the game to deuce with their opponent serving.

On the third deuce point, Kim won a net point to give Valencia the advantage.  On the next point, the Tartans made an error that gave Valencia a 5-4 lead. This is when the momentum seemed to shift.  Valencia closed out the next game without dropping a point and tied the match at 6-6. At this point Valencia led on games, 55-52.

St. Margaret’s could have used another upset on the singles side in the final round, but it wasn't likely to come against Valencia's Nos. 1 and 2 players, senior Brandon Chang and junior Jonathan Hammel, who were dominating their matches.  Hammel finished the day by winning 6-1, 6-1, and 6-2, and Chang won, 6-1, 6-2, and 6-2.

Valencia's No. 3 singles player, freshman Matt Pham, seemed most vulnerable. He had lost an earlier match and even though he was competing in his most important match of the season, he didn't appear intimidated.  With his dark shades protecting his eyes against the sun, Pham saw every ball clearly and the made big shots when he needed to, defeating St. Margaret's freshmen Brooks Robinson, 6-2.

Asked if he was feeling nervous, Pham replied, “I tried to treat it, as much as it can be, as just another match."

St. Margaret’s was unable to get over the hump in terms of games won.  Even the 6-1 victory by the No. 3 doubles team of seniors Michael Kartiko and Mitch Marmalstein over Valencia's No. 1 team was not enough. 

“This has been a great team," Trager said. "They played really well all year. We are going to miss our seniors immensely. It has been fun to see them develop over the years and do a great job.” 

On his seniors, coach Trager said of Geller: “He is a great team leader. He motivates the rest of the players.”  This fall, Geller will attend the California Maritime Academy where he will study marine transportation and play water polo.

On Kartiko and Marmalstein, Trager said, “We are really going to miss though guys. Great personalities, fantastic kids.” Kartiko will be attending New York University and Marmalstein received a basketball scholarship to play at Grove City College in Pennsylvania.

Trager said of Friedman: “You can also count on Michael to fight. He doesn’t quit. It’s been a pleasure getting to know him.”  Friedman will attend UC Santa Barbara.

What might have hurt even more Tuesday afternoon, based on the reactions of Sage Hills' players, was when news came of Academy League rival Sage Hill’s advancing to the championship match. 

When asked who would win the final between Sage Hill and Valencia, Geller replied, "Sage Hill ... unfortunately.”

Trager agreed. “Sage Hill is just a little bit better and probably more balanced. They will win more singles matches than we did.” 

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