Most teams would be thrilled to reach the City Section finals. But the Palisades High boys tennis team sets higher standards than most and last season’s loss to El Camino Real in the championship match is all the motivation the Dolphins need to return to the finals and win. “I thought we might be a year away [from the finals] last year but we made it through,” Palisades High coach Bud Kling said. “This was the year I thought we’d win it. Of course, a lot has changed since June.” One change is that the Dolphins won’t have access to Palisades Recreation Center for their practices due to maintenance work on two courts. Kling will have to make due with two courts on campus (adjacent to the PaliHi baseball field) and, he hopes, a court at Temescal Canyon School and courts at Rustic Canyon. “Fortunately, we’ll still be able to play our matches at the park,” Kling said. “Heidi [Wessels] at the Palisades Tennis Center has been very cooperative and is going to try to adjust their clinics on days we have matches.” Though No. 1 doubles player Eric Young graduated, a returning starter moved out of the area and another quit the team, the Dolphins’ nucleus remains intact. The top of Pali’s lineup will be the same as a year ago, with junior Chris Ko and sophomore Ben Tom again playing No. 1 and No. 2 singles. “I have high expectations,” said Ko, who rolled an ankle in last year’s finals and had to forfeit three sets. “What we lacked to win it all last year was depth but I think we’ll have more of that. I just hope that if we make it to the finals I don’t get hurt and have to watch from the grass. I want to be out there playing.” Tom switched from a two-handed to a one-handed forehand at last year’s Sectionals and has been fine-tuning that stroke ever since. “I suffered a big drop in my play at first, but my game is starting to come back now. I feel I can hit bigger shots now, I’m just not as comfortable or consistent yet.” Senior team captains Taylor Robinson and Ryan Kling are confident the Dolphins can make it back to the finals. “Hopefully Chris will stay healthy. Ben is good, Ariel [Oleynik] is good and we have a lot of good doubles guys,” Ryan Kling said. “Sure, we lost a few guys, but we have some other guys to take their place.” “It’s true that our reputation precedes us, and that definitely makes us more determined to win,” added Robinson, who will likely play No. 1 or No. 2 doubles. “If we learned one thing from last year, it’s that we have to stay focused even if we’re behind in a match. We got down mentally [in the finals] last year when Chris got hurt and we never really recovered.” Oleynik and sophomore Stephen Surjue will rotate in the third and fourth singles spots. Pali’s doubles combinations are not set, but Robinson, Darya Bakhtiar, Daniel Burge and Sephir Sepehr Safii will likely make up the top two teams with Daniel Yoo, John Kang, Brian Pak, Hyung Suk Lee, Josh Kim, Neema Ghiasi and freshmen Mason Hays and Michael Light are all candidates for the No. 3 spot. “El Camino Real is still the team to beat,” Bud Kling said. “They have the advantage of playing other strong teams in their league like Taft, Cleveland and Granada Hills. Our league usually isn’t as strong and that’s why I beefed up our schedule.” Palisades opens the season tomorrow at the Central California Tournament in Fresno. The Dolphins play in the Division I draw against Wasco at 10 a.m., either Lincoln or Rio Americano at 1 p.m. and either Clovis West or Palo Alto at 4 p.m. Teams are then re-seeded for Saturday’s elimination round. Nonleague matches against Southern Section schools Loyola, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica should prepare Pali for league play and beyond. “The City championship is within our reach,” Tom said. “We want ECR again. We know what they have. Getting back to the finals won’t be a disappointment but of course we want to win it. A lot will depend upon how much we improve.”
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