September 11, 2007

Prep notebook

Bitter pill to swallow for Taft tennis in opener

Rachel Bitter won more sets Tuesday than she had in Westlake's previous two matches combined.

And the Warriors girls' tennis team needed every one of them.

Competing against Taft of Woodland Hills' talented singles lineup, the junior rallied from deficits to knock off Yuliya Maystruk and Sarah Cohen, leading host Westlake to a 12-6 intersectional victory.

"This is the first year I've been able to block everything out and just concentrate on playing," said Bitter, who clinched Westlake's win with an emotional 7-5 triumph over Cohen. "I've been able to keep that consistent attitude and stay confident and that's how I've been able to win lately."

Bitter trailed Maystruk in her opening set 5-3, before rallying to win the final four games. After defeating Rebecca Mesropyan 6-2, she outlasted Cohen by rallying from a 5-4 deficit.

"When you're playing you don't think about the team scores because you're in the moment," Bitter said. "But when you're done and see how your teammates react, it's a great feeling. When you're playing your best, that's when the score starts showing."

Westlake (2-1) swept all nine doubles sets against an undermanned Taft lineup, which played without

Cohen, Maystruk and Mesropyan all won two sets for the Toreadors (0-1), who are still awaiting paperwork to clear in order to grant eligibility for Criss Rodriguez, a junior transfer from Florida.

- Erik Boal

Burroughs' Tubert on a tear to start season:

As if three rounds in the 30s to open the season weren't impressive enough, Burroughs of Burbank sophomore Emily Tubert managed to squeeze in a tournament victory over the weekend in Palm Desert.

Competing in a 30-player field at a SCPGA Toyota Tour Cup event at Ironwood Country Club, Tubert shot a 4-under 68 on the second day to capture the title with a two-day total of 1-under 143.

Tubert's four-birdie, no-bogey round Sunday helped offset an opening-round 75, which left her in eighth place entering the final 18 holes.

Tubert will lead the undefeated Indians in a Pacific League match Thursday at Brookside Golf Course in Pasadena.

- Erik Boal

Saugus heads stellar field at Woodbridge Invitational:

After a record-setting performance Friday at the Seaside Invitational in Ventura, the Saugus girls' cross country team is slated to face perhaps its toughest opponent of the young season: Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta.

Both teams are scheduled to run against each other for the first time this season Saturday at the Woodbridge Invitational in Irvine. It will mark the first of several regular-season meetings between the top two teams in Southern Section Div. I.

Saugus, the state's top-ranked team, shattered the 3-mile course at SanBuenaventura State Beach Park by more than a minute with a clocking of 89minutes, 17 seconds.

But things might not be as easy for Saugus this week, as C.V. brings some of the area's top runners in Rachel Lange and Claire Collison.

Expect to see Lange and Collison atop the list of finishers at Woodbridge, the only night meet in Southern California.

Saugus, ranked No. 11 nationally by Harrier Magazine, counters the No. 21 Falcons with Katie Dunn, Amber Murakami, Nina Moore, Brianna Jauregui and standout freshman Kaylin Mahoney.

On the boys' side, Hart of Newhall's Jimmy Kelley and Oakwood of North Hollywood are expected to be showcased in the sweepstakes race.

That same race will feature Eric Kleinsasser and Zack Torres from C.V. and Alex Routh-led Royal of Simi Valley, both ranked among the top 10 in Southern Section Div. I.

- Ivan Orozco

Titanic bond formed at Cal State Fullerton:

Quartz Hill graduate Ashley Litchfield and Calabasas alum Erin Wiesener had plenty in common during their high school careers, even if their paths only crossed occasionally on weekends during USTA junior tournaments. Neither individual ever lost a league match in four years and both were instrumental in their teams enjoy several successful postseason runs.

Now, the former All-Area standouts are not only teammates, but roommates, at Cal State Fullerton. Litchfield, who never lost a set in Golden League play during her career, and Wiesener, who clinched Calabasas' victory over Peninsula of Rolling Hills Estates in the 2004 Southern Section Div.I final, are two of four freshmen on the Titans' roster.

- Erik Boal

Santa Clarita cleans up at World Championships:

If the Santa Clarita Valley was a separate nation at the recent IAAF World Track and Field Championships in Osaka, Japan, it would've matched up with some of the elite countries, despite having only two athletes win medals.

Allyson Felix, a former L.A. Baptist of North Hills standout who lives in Santa Clarita, won three medals and Michelle Perry added another, accounting for four of the United States' meet-best 14 golds.

Santa Clarita would have tied for third with Russia on the gold-medal list, trailing Kenya, which was second with five.

Felix was only the second female athlete to capture three gold medals in a single World Championship meet.

Her split of 48.0 seconds on the 1,600-meter relay was faster than Florence Griffith-Joyner's mark of 48.2 at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The winning time of 3:18.55 recorded by the U.S. was the fastest in the world since 1993.

- Kirby Lee