Having lost its LA City Section championship to rival Granada Hills last fall, Palisades High’s girls tennis team is determined to win it back. That quest starts Tuesday with a nonleague match at Westlake and the Dolphins will try to reverse last year’s 7-0 loss to the CIF Southern Section Open Division champion.

On Sept. 3 they host West Ranch in another nonleague match.   

Highly-ranked sophomore Shaya Jovanovic has expressed interest in playing for the Dolphins this fall after skipping high school tennis to focus on the junior circuit as a freshman. Key returners are juniors Anais Israels, Nicole Nguyen, Ella Engel and Anne Kelly, seniors Sashi Gancheva, Dori Jamehdor, Emma Yoffe and Reese Trepanier. Up from JV is 10th-grader Maya Goldenson and rounding out varsity are Misha Heindel, Alexa Farahmand, Penelope Mihal, Ella Portugali, Charlie Roberts and Remy Trepanier.          

Coach Bud Kling’s squad is scheduled to play in the California Classic on Sept, 6-7 in Fresno and the Sage Hill Lightning Classic on Sept. 27-28 in Newport Beach.    

Steve Kerr added a postscript to his already impressive resume August 10 and it may be the one accomplishment he will cherish most.

Head coach of the USA men’s basketball team at the Paris Olympics, Kerr watched in awe as Steph Curry hit four clutch three-pointers in the last three minutes to seal a 98-87 victory over host France in the gold medal game. It was the USA’s fifth straight gold since 2008. For Kerr, it marked another milestone in a career that has seen him win nine NBA titles (five as a player, four as a coach). The 1983 Palisades High graduate, who set the league record for three-point percentage in his 15-year NBA playing career, served as an assistant on Gregg Popovich’s staff at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

Kerr articulated his emotions after  the medal ceremony as follows: “It’s an amazing feeling to watch the players up on the stage and then see the flag going up to the rafters and hearing  the national anthem… I’ve never been more proud to be an American and to be part of a group of people that accomplished something special. We showed that we still have the most great players.”

Village School graduate and former Highlands resident Johnny Hooper played an integral role in the USA men’s water polo team’s run to the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics—the Americans’ first medal since getting silver in 2008.   

The 27-year-old Hooper scored four goals in five group play contests and netted his team’s first goal in the quarterfinals versus Australia before being ejected for throwing a punch. Team USA rallied to win a penalty shootout and Hooper had to sit out the next game, a 10-6 loss to Serbia.

He was back in the pool in the third-place game against Hungary and got Team USA on the scoreboard first less than two minutes into the first quarter. The Americans went on to take the bronze in a shootout 11-8. It was Hooper’s second trip to the Olympics. He helped the USA to sixth place in Tokyo.        

Hooper was in the Junior Lifeguard program at Will Rogers Beach before leading Harvard-Westlake High to two CIF water polo titles and being named Division I Player of the Year in 2015. He was an All-American at California, scoring 245 goals for the Golden Bears.

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

As one of two United States pairs entered in the men’s beach volleyball competition at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Miles Partain and Andy Benesh were hoping to earn a spot on the medal platform.

Earning five out of a possible six points, they placed  second in the group stage behind Chileans Jorge Luis Alayo and Noslen Diaz, then upset the Italian duo of Samuele Cottafava and Paolo Nicolai, 21-17, 21-18, in the round of 16. America’s other tandem, Miles Evans and Chase Budinger, won their lucky loser match before falling to Christian Sorum and  Anders Mol of Norway in the round of 16.

After their three-set win against Brazil’s Andre Loyola and George Wanderley in the final round of pool play, Partain and Benesh issued a statement through USA Volleyball that they were parting ways with their coach Mike Placek, whom the duo had worked with since partnering up in the fall of 2022. Under Placek’s guidance they won three straight Elite16 medals in the summer of 2023 and on the AVP Tour they reached three straight finals (winning two) and were selected 2023 Team of the Year.

Using a higher-risk, more aggressive strategy worked against Alayo and Diaz. They tried it again on August 7 when Partain and Benesh faced undefeated Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan from Qatar in the quarterfinals, but this time they lost 21-14, 21-16, officially finishing in fifth place.

Partain won three City titles at Palisades High and graduated as valedictorian in 2020 before joining older brother Marcus on the UCLA indoor team. He appeared in seven matches as a reserve setter in 2021 and was named 2022 MPSF Player of the Year and a first-team NVA/AVCA All-America selection in 2023 when he played in all 27 of UCLA’s matches and had multiple kills in 19 of them. He saw action in seven matches in 2023, then left the team to pursue his dream of playing in the Olympics.

Only 22 years old, Miles is the youngest U.S. beach volleyball player in Olympic history. He played for Pac6 Volleyball Club and in 2017 at the age of 15 he and his brother (then 17) become the youngest pair to ever advance to the main draw of an AVP beach event. He paired with Paul Lotman to win his first AVP Championship at the 2022 Atlanta Open.

Last weekend, Partain and Benesh were back in action at the Manhattan Beach Open and the No. 3-seeded duo made it to the finals, falling to top-seeded Theo Brunner and Trevor Crabb 21-18, 21-18 despite 11 kills, fiive digs, one block and an ace by Partain. In a three-set semifnal win he had 23 kills and 17 digs.

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Balls were rolling, laughs were trading, jokes were flying and smiles were everywhere Saturday, Aug. 10 at Veterans Gardens, where local residents showed up to watch and participate in the inaugural Hollwyood Cup Bocce Ball Invitational, hosted by Palisades Bocce Club member Memo Macalpin, who has sought to promote the courts at the Palisades Recreation Center since the local club was founded in the spring of 2021 by community mover and shaker Jimmy Dunne.

Macalpin predicted beforehand “We’ll have a great time!” and boy was he right. His favorite part was when everyone gathered around the flag pole for the national anthem.

“I got goosebumps when everyone in unison started singing together,” admitted Macalpin, who helped the Highwood B Bombers win the Open B gold medal at the 2023 U.S.States Bocce Federation National Championships near Chicago. “When it was over you saw a bunch of folks hugging and crying. It was powerful!”

Twelve teams of at least four players each were divided into two groups, with teams in each group playing each other in a round robin format. The top two teams in each group advanced to a knockout stage.

The Blue Group consisted of BC Palisades, Bayside Rollers, Bocceros, Deboccery, Ocean Bocce Club and Pallino Pinchers. Making up the Orange Group were B&B, Bocce Ball Stars, Crem de La Bocce, Roll Models, Team Flour and Vesuvius.

Games began at 9:40 a.m. right after Meaghan Kennedy and her family kicked off the event as the honorary Pallino rollers. Having to make numerous close calls throughout the day were head official Sean Barnett and fellow referee Robin Meyers, who remained fair but firm.

“Refereeing is tough and takes courage,” Macalpin said. “A huge thank you to Sean and Robyn for your high-level reffing. I love how Sean can measure so fancily and Robyn is so calm and collected.”

Macalpin gave much of the credit for the tournament’s success to the many volunteers. Palisades-Malibu YMCA had a “Hydration and First Aid” station, with an unlimited supply of cold water and sunscreen and a tent where the Paris Olympics was being live streamed. Players could grab a sugar-free Red Bull if they needed energy and there was even  a ball repair service station for teams to maintain their bocce balls. YMCA staffer Isai Elias tended to all of the tournament athletes’ needs and questions.

Event manager Alex Lingois worked his magic, setting up a giant monitor and software tracking the tournament results and schedule, so all teams knew where they stood in the standings at all times.

The title sponsor was “Flour Pizzeria.” Robert Flutie, his daughter Ava and their team not only delivered pizza and refreshments for everyone to eat, but also had a full-blown pizzeria pop-up going on and everyone was thrilled.

“That was a sight to see,” Macalpin said. “Robert is building a trophy cabinet over at Flour Pizza, where this beautiful Hollywood Cup trophy will now be on display for the community to see. Robert Flutie’s, Flour Pizzeria & Cafe will return as title sponsor as long as Robert wants as it’s important to me that we always have a sponsor from the community involved.”

In the end Bayside Rollers emerged as the gold medalists after their spirited victory over Bocce Ball Stars in the championship match. Captained by Carlyn Peterson and led by finals Most Valuable Player Nancy Gillette, who made numerous clutch rolls  along with teammates Diane Tallant and Diane Holt, Bayside Rollers deserved the Cup. Dunne presented them with the trophy.

“Nancy’s contribution to her team’s performance in the championship round sealed it for the Rollers and huge congratulations  to the team,” Macalpin said . “I’m so happy for Nancy. She earned the  MVP Award the hard way.”

Silver Medalists Bocce Ball Stars consisted of captain Cindy Kirven, Gregg Seltzer, Terry Hargrave, Kathy Caldwell, Lili Moghbel and Sharam Moghbel. Coming in third was Crem de La Bocce and making up the bronze medalists’ roster were captain Miriam Braveman, Ellie Lederman, Tom Harsnberger, Rene Harnsberger, Candy Beaver and Peter Braveman.

Macalpin coached Team Flour and although it did not advance to the playoffs, team member Savanah Moss was named the Tournament MVP, drawing oohs and aahs from the spectators for her shotmaking.

“There were so many comments about Savanah and how well she played,” Malcalpin said. “She had fun, was accurate all day and decidedly earned the award.”

What’s next for the Memo Macalpin Bocce Brand? “I’m looking at another LA Parks & Rec venue to hold an intimate singles bocce tourney this fall, plus the minute the Hollywood Cup ended I started planning for the 2025 edition,” Macalpin concluded. “The majority of my energy this fall will be spent in Palisades community advocacy as a volunteer, following in my mom’s foosteps. I’m working very closely along with the board at the YMCA brainstorming to enhance teen programming here in town. It’s an important subject in Pacific Palisades because we have wonderful youth and teens here as part of our community and I believe it’s our responsibility to provide our kids more outlets for gathering, leadership, and fun. I’m going to have a blast tackling this one with YMCA Executive Director Jim Kirtley and YMCA Advisory Board Chairperson Tracey Price and her daughter Audrey. Exciting times are ahead.”