Tryouts Underway for Laguna Beach High Tennis Team

Submitted by Kristine Michaels:

Breakers girls tennis is back and ready to get started.  Returning for his 3rd year coaching Breakers tennis is Coach Don Davis, the 2013 Laguna Beach High School Coach of the Year!

Davis, tennis coach at the Nellie Gail Tennis Club since 1994, joined the Breakers in 2011 as the Girls Varsity Tennis Coach.  That same year he took on the boys varsity head coach position as well.  Because of his tremendously positive demeanor, attitude, outlook, and coaching style, Coach Davis was awarded the prestigious LBHS Coach of the Year award after only his second year of coaching for the Breakers.  Davis has had great success with both the girls and boys Varsity tennis teams.

This summer, Davis held clinics at LBHS providing an opportunity for kids in the community to develop their skills and love for the game of tennis.  When asked what his favorite thing about coaching girls high school tennis was, Davis answered “I enjoy watching the girls progress, and getting to know them personally.”

This season Davis will be putting together a Varsity and Junior Varsity team.  There will be a new JV coach and a new assistant coach to stand by Davis.  The names are not ready to publish at this time.  It is Coach Davis’ hope that all girls that come out to play tennis for the Breakers this year will be able to play.  It is not certain at this time if cuts will have to be made.

As head coach, Davis produced back to back undefeated Orange Coast League Champions.  Last year, the Breakers reached the semi-finals of CIF beating Oxford Academy 12-6, Santa Monica 10-8 and Valencia 12-6 which finished in darkness.  In the semi-finals the Breakers fell to Arcadia 5-13 however, they qualified for the first ever CIF Regional Championships held in Granada Hills where they ended their season by a score of 2-5.  Davis thinks that the girls did as well as they possibly could have done the past 2 years.  The two teams that they lost to last season in CIF were deeper, stronger teams, and without performing well, they could have lost in an earlier round.  It is his hope that for this season, he will be equally pleased at the conclusion.

The Breakers lost four players from last year’s squad, three of which were starting doubles players; Powerhouse #1 Doubles team Dominique Willette and Chloe Mansour, #2 Doubles player Katelyn Bo and Singles player Bebe Shelly.  Returning players are Seniors:  Nicole Doiron, Brooke Michaels, Sarah Nederlander, Stephanie Tat, and Shawna Yang.  Juniors:  Kira Hamilton, Bailey Jaeger, Madeline Loomis, Olivia Morrison.  Sophomores:  Ashley Fair, Natasha Keces, Ashley Shelton.  Last season’s top three singles players and Orange Coast League top three finishers, Michaels, Jaeger and Hamilton will return.  On the doubles side, three of the top three Orange Coast League Doubles finishers return with Ashley Shelton and Madeline Loomis finishing as #2 doubles and Sarah Nederlander finishing at #3 Doubles.  The rest of the returning players are experienced in both singles and doubles.  Coach Davis makes sure that his players get as much play time as possible so that his team continues to grow from year to year.  Coach Davis is aware of a few incoming standout freshman – Summer Clawson, Lily McKinney and Kathleen Kimbal - that are definite players to watch.

Tryouts are being held this week and August 26-30 starting at 11:00 am at the Laguna Beach High School Courts.  The second week, play may move to Alta Laguna depending on planned court renovation at the LBHS courts. 

For questions contact Coach Don Davis at don10s@live.com or Kristine Michaels at Kristine@socaltelephone.com.