Moore League girls’ tennis will return to its regular schedule this fall, after sharing the spotlight with boys’ tennis earlier this spring. There will be a new individual champion this year after Wilson senior Maddie Tadd brought home the title back in May, and the Bruins will be looking to replace her at the top of the lineup and defend their team title this season.
Wilson was able to hold off both Poly and Millikan for the program’s first team title in girls’ tennis since 2013-14, ending a run of six consecutive titles for the Jackrabbits. Bruins head coach Nick Medina says the goal for his team this year is to be “highly competitive and dedicated” and he’s got a few talented seniors looking to keep Wilson on top.
Julissa Tucker was a third-place finisher in the Moore League doubles competition last season and should be a top contributor for Wilson. She’ll be joined at the top of the lineup by fellow seniors Isabella Wooden and Naomi Herrera, who has impressed Medina with her work ethic this offseason and should be a player to watch.
Among the programs looking to dethrone the Bruins should be Millikan, after the Rams earned an elusive head-to-head win over Long Beach Poly last season, and had then-sophomore Kailee Mazzeo (pictured above) reach the Moore League individual finals. After the Rams tied 9-9 against Poly and lost on the games tiebreaker in their first regular season meeting, Torie Frapwell’s team was able to earn an 11-7 win in the rematch. That gave the Rams just their second win over Poly during Frapwell’s 15-year tenure.
“As always, we are in search of a league title and we plan to put in the work to get there,” Frapwell said. “I have a lot of returning players this coming season and after a tie for second place back in the spring, they are itching for another shot.”
Unfortunately for Millikan, Mazzeo will not be competing for the Rams this season, meaning other players will need to step up for Frapwell. Senior Maya Alvarez will play near the top of the Millikan lineup, and senior Amelia Maudin will switch from doubles to singles to provide additional reinforcements. Standout junior Sofia Uy is also making the move from doubles to singles.
As for those Rams pairs, senior Ava Medure is a key player for Millikan and she’ll be playing alongside sophomore Adora Vinhee. Vanessa Kuoch, Riley Duenas, Maya Cummings, and Nina Collier will also fill out the doubles lineup for Millikan this season.
Meanwhile, Long Beach Poly will be looking to reclaim its title with a lot of changes to the team.
“During the summer we have been working hard rebuilding our line-ups from scratch,” explained second-year head coach Doug Schlueter. “Although we lost a few of our best players last season, they left us with an opportunity to rebuild the team.”
Senior captain Julia Sutedjo will lead the singles lineup for Poly, followed by junior Janaiya Williams. Sutedjo and fellow captains Amy Peng and Angelina Nguon have provided valuable leadership for Poly during the shortened offseason. In doubles, juniors Melyn Lim and Hannah Tran are expected to lead the way for the Jackrabbits. Schlueter also said he expects valuable contributions from junior Lilia Fuentes, sophomore Imrie Beatty and freshman Pelenaise Satuala.
Meanwhile at Lakewood, head coach Brian Vikram has an experienced group of Lancers looking to make positive strides in the season ahead.
“We are set, solid and well prepared because we had a good summer tennis camp, unlike last year,” Vikram said. “The high school tennis season is a journey that our team intends to make a fun one this year.”
Senior captain Mikaela Joya will lead the singles lineup for the Lancers, followed by senior Lana Birmingham and junior Vienesse Datu at the No. 2 and 3 singles spots, respectively. Junior co-captain Hannah Delgadillo will be the top doubles player for Lakewood, and Aleena Gray brings plenty of experience in that role as well. Senior Naomi Alvarado is back with the program this season and Vikram says she has returned motivated and hard-working to prepare for the season.
Elsewhere, Cabrillo has been working to hire a new head coach for the upcoming season after being unable to compete last year, and Jordan is unable to field a team in 2021. Compton is also navigating through the challenges of being relocated during their full campus rebuild.
Outside the traditional Moore League schools, CAMS has a few talented returners in Jodi Chang and Emma Lim. Chang was the 2019 individual champion as a sophomore, and defeated Lim in the third-place singles match back in the spring. When this season’s individual final rolls around, Chang will certainly be among the favorites as a senior for the Rebels.
The Moore League tennis schedule gets underway tomorrow, with Wilson visiting Poly for a key early-season showdown.
