Knocking on the door is one thing. Knocking it down is another.
After two consecutive seasons of advancing to the CIF Southern Section Division III semifinals only to fall to the eventual champion, the Malibu High School girls tennis team has its sights set this year on a CIF title.
An excruciating 11-7 loss to Laguna Hills last year in the CIF semifinals kept top-seeded Malibu from the title game, despite a dominant season in which the team went 18-0 and steamrolled its opponents for a third straight Tri-Valley League Title. It also marked the end of a glittering career for Britta Mosser, Malibu’s ace senior who claimed three TVL singles titles as a Shark but no CIF rings. Mosser has since moved on to play collegiately at U.C. San Diego.
Now a new season has arrived, and Malibu head coach Todd Montgomery feels the elusive CIF team title—its first since 2004—is within a racquet’s reach.
“We have a very solid team this year and we hope to win the league,” Malibu coach Todd Montgomery said. “We are strong with our top two singles and top two doubles. The rest of the team is competing to see who will play third singles and third doubles. Hopefully we will do as well or better than last year in CIF.”
CIF polls are set to be released next week, and Malibu should be a formidable, top-ranked team in Division III.
Despite losing Mosser to graduation, the Sharks return two very talented singles players in senior Lauren Louks and junior Ilana Oleynik.
The Tri-Valley League singles championship match last season was an all- Malibu affair, as Louks lost to Mosser 6-3, 6-3. Louks plays a consistent and smooth baseline game while Oleynik possesses an aggressive attacking style that wears down opponents. With Mosser graduated and no apparent rivals on the league horizon, it would not be a surprise to see these two ladies reach this year’s TVL singles final.
Seniors Raven Odian and Rachel Purewal won the TVL doubles championship in 2012 and are back to defend their crown.
Lisa Consiglio and Elena Clarfield will play No. 2 doubles for Malibu while junior Mia Green will be at No. 3 doubles with a partner to be determined.
“We have high hopes for this team,” said Consiglio, a junior. “There is a lot of potential talent on this team. We are almost bursting with talent.”
Consiglio, Clarfield and Green are strong doubles players who have the ability to play at No. 1 doubles. But with Odian and Purewal owning the top spot, winning crucial matches at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions often make the difference between winning and losing for the Sharks.
Green played as an alternate on the varsity last season and now has the opportunity to play every day.
“I’m really excited about the tennis season,” Green said. “We have really good singles players and strong doubles teams. I hope we win CIF. We are going to try to do our best every match.”
Montgomery coached the boys team last spring and made the decision to join the girls this fall as well. After just two weeks of practice, he has seen first-hand the growth and potential in his team.
“I’m very excited to be working with this girls team. The motivation is high and the results are tangible,” he said. “This whole experience is awesome and it’s great character building for the kids. I have already been impressed by the organizational skills and maturity of the girls team. Just like the boys, it’s another group of classy individuals.”
Malibu hosts Flintridge Prep on Friday at 3 p.m., followed by a road contest at Santa Monica on Monday and another home match vs. Simi Valley on Sept. 11 at 3 p.m.