Nelson dazzles her way into the semifinals

Orange Coast College sophomore Ashley Nelson did it on both ends

Thursday at the Orange Empire Conference women’s individual tennis

tournament held at Irvine Valley.

Nelson advanced to the semifinals in singles with two victories

Thursday and then patterned with Leah Becker to beat a Riverside

doubles’ team, 6-3, 6-4, to move on to today’s final against either

Fullerton or Saddleback.

Nelson defeated Riverside’s Jocelyn Jucaban, 6-3, 6-2, in a

singles semifinal after sweeping in the Round of 16.

“She played great ... rose to the occasion,” said Coast Coach

Janice Maran about Nelson’s performance.

Leah Becker and Sabrina Tanamal each advanced to the quarterfinals

Thursday before falling and will join Nelson at the Southern

California Regional Finals in May at Cuesta College. Tanamal and

Rachel Sessum advanced to the semifinals in doubles and also

qualified for the regional tournament.

Nelson faces Fullerton’s Kelly Savin in the singles’ final today

at 1 p.m. at IVC to be followed by the doubles final.

Harbor romps, 14-4

* Robert Khoury, Tyler Deck and Charlie Farmer each posted sweeps

in singles as the visiting Newport Harbor High boys tennis team beat

Aliso Niguel, 14-4, in a Sea View League match Thursday.

But Newport Coach Jeff Thomsen praised the play of his doubles

teams, especially the No. 2 team of Brandon Lutfy-Dylan Espley-Jones

and the third team of Brian Hochwald-Ruslan Serdyuk. Each team won

two of three sets.

“That’s the best they’ve played all year,” Thomsen said of the two

doubles teams. Jonathan Tweena and Bob D’Eliscu won one set at No. 1

doubles for Newport (7-4, 3-3 in league), which will host Irvine

April 22. Irvine won the earlier meeting this season, 10-8.

“It will be our biggest match of the season,” Thomsen said.

*--*

Sea View League

Newport 14, Aliso Niguel 4

Singles -- Khoury (NH) def. Sharghi, 6-1, def. Menhaji, 6-0, def. Shararoh, 6-0; Deck (NH) won, 6-1, 6-1, 6-0; Farmer (NH) won, 7-6, 6-2, 6-2. Doubles -- Tweena-D’Eliscu (NH) lost to Sampat-Nguyen, 3-6, def. Wang-Tang, 6-4, lost to Neuda-Elmasri, 2-6;

Lutfy-Espley-Jones (NH) won, 6-3, lost, 6-7, won, 6-3; Hochwald-Serdyuk (NH) lost, 1-6, won, 6-2, won, 6-3

*--*

Northridge shocks UCI

* Cal State Northridge’s women’s tennis team shocked UC Irvine in

Big West Conference play Thursday, taking a 6-1 decision on the

winner’s courts.

The Anteaters, who entered with a 6-0 Big West record, could win

just one singles match. Anna Bentzer topped Rani Setlawatl, 6-3, 7-5.

The match of the day was at No. 1 singles where Northridge’s

Tereza Simonyan pulled out a 7-6 (4), 7-5 win over the Anteaters’

Tiffany Chang.

Northridge improved to 14-7, 4-2.

*--*

Big West Conference

Cal State Northridge 6, UC Irvine 1

Singles -- Simonyan (N) def. Chang, 7-6, 7-5; Bentzer (UCI) def. Sttlawatl, 6-3, 7-5; Chillilngaryan (N) def. Leow, 1-2, retired; Bierman (N) def. Tranckino, 7-6 6-3; Myinttun (NM) def. Boss, 6-4, 6-4; Yepremian (N) def. Posner, 6-2, 7-5. Doubles --

Simonyan-Setiawati (N) def. Bnentzer-Posner, 8-6; Chillingaryan-Ypepremian (N) def. Leow-Tranckino, 8-3; Myinttun-Soltysik (N) def. Chang-Boss, 8-7

*--*

Mustangs edged, 10-8

* David Le swept at No. 2 singles for the Costa Mesa High boys

tennis team Thursday, but the host Orange Panthers edged the

Mustangs, 10-8, in a Golden West League match.

Huy Pham won two of three sets at No. 1 singles for Costa Mesa

[0-11, 0-8 in league]. Mesa plays again April 22 at Estancia.

*--*

Golden West League

Orange 10, Costa Mesa 8 Singles -- H. Pham (CM) def. Maldonado, 7-5, lost to Tin Lee, 1-6, def. Tony Lee, 6-2; Le (CM) won 6-2, 6-0, 6-2; Mei (CM) lost 2-6, 1-6, won 6-3. Doubles -- Gomez-A. Nguyen (CM) lost to Dao-S. Nguyen, 5-7, lost to Ma-Hoang, 0-6, def. Pham-Chen, 6-1;

B.

Nguyen-McNalty (CM) lost 1-6, 1-6, 5-7; Sneen-Dang (CM) lost 4-6, 1-6, won 6-2

*--*

Braunsdorf sharp

* Estancia High freshman Scott Braunsdorf improved to 24-3 in

singles this season by sweeping three Santa Ana foes Thursday. The

visiting Saints, however, earned a 10-8 Golden West League victory.

Braunsdorf won 18 of 24 games Thursday.

Estancia’s No. 1 doubles tandem of Louis Valdes and Chris Cacho

also swept for the hosts, claiming triumphs of 7-5, 7-6 and 6-3.

Coach Rachel de los Santos’ Eagles are now 6-8, 3-6 in league.

*--*

Golden West League

Santa Ana 10, Estancia 8

Singles -- Braunsdorf (E) def. Roldan, 6-3, def. Zaragoza, 6-2, def. Guzman, 6-1; Bradshaw (E) won, 7-6, lost, 0-6, 3-6; Stephenson (E) lost, 0-6, 3-6, 3-6. Doubles -- Valdes-Cacho (E) def. Barrera-Godinez , 7-5, def. Gonzalez-Rodriguez, 7-6, def. L.

Rodriguez-Sanchez, 6-3; Raymond-Do (E) lost, 3-6, 0-6, won, 7-6; McKendry-Mumtaz (E) lost, 1-6, 2-6, 4-6

*--*