The Point Loma High School Pointers tennis team is flexing its muscle this year, posting an undefeated regular season and setting up a CIF championship run this week. The Pointers, who wrapped up an 18-0 record, were preparing to take on the winner of the Mount Carmel/ Hilltop match on Wednesday, May 9, at Robb Field.
Results of the match were not available at press time.
PLHS clinched an automatic bye as league champions and are currently the No. 3 seed in Division II behind San Pascual and Westview.
“We knew that we had a good team coming into the season and that we have been getting better every year over the past three seasons. So we believed we could challenge for the league,” said PLHS tennis head coach Tim Cunningham.
The Pointers entered the 2007 season with something to prove after a 10-5 second-place regular season finish in 2006 that ended with a loss to Mount Carmel in the first round of the playoffs last year.
But what Cunningham didn’t count on in 2007 was having freshmen players step up and become two of the top three singles players on the team. The No. 1 singles player, freshman Corey Smith, went a perfect 48-0 this season, while the other top freshman, Nathaniel Johnson, went 38-6 as the No. 3 singles player.
“I didn’t think it would be as tough as it has been this year,” Johnson said. “I feel lucky to be on such a good team.”
Senior Carl Stricker, the Pointers’ No. 2 singles player, went 42-3 in the 2007 campaign.
“I wasn’t here for the first few games because I was playing soccer,” Stricker said. “We feel pretty confident going into the playoffs.”
Coach Cunningham agrees about the team’s confidence level.
“Our guys are fired up going into the playoffs,” said Cunningham. “We went into our last match with Patrick Henry and had already clinched at least a share of the league championship. But I asked the guys if they wanted to share the title or win it outright. We started off 2-2 against Henry but then the guys turned it up and we went up 10-2. That’s when I knew how bad they wanted it.”
The scoring system in high school tennis is based on the winners of the three singles and three doubles matches. Each match is worth three points for a total of 18 points overall. In the case of a 9-9 tie, the number of games won by each team is used as a tiebreaker to decide the match.
PLHS doubles teams have also posted impressive records this year. The No. 1 doubles team that includes senior and team captain Trevor Cunningham and sophomore Ryan Harris are 46-5. The No. 2 doubles team of juniors Stefan Peters and Shivam Patel are 27-11. The No. 3 doubles’ team of Jack Newman and John Davies are 40-14. Newman and Davies are sophomores.
“Our attitude is great going into the playoffs,” said Trevor Cunningham. “Everyone is stoked about it.”
Harris also feels confident about the teams’ chances of advancing in the post-season.
“A few more key roles have been filled. We also didn’t have any letdowns this year. Last year, we had a lot of potential but didn’t play up to it,” Harris said.
Both on the court and off, coach Cunningham says he has much to be proud of and thankful for this season.
“Our team is a great group of kids and good citizens,” he said. “They have been a fun group this year.”