Double-header win for WTT Warriors

FALLBROOK – On Saturday, Jan. 9, the World Team Tennis (WTT) Warriors played a double-header at University City High School, first beating University City, followed by a victory over Valhalla. High school WTT features coed teams, and participating in Saturday’s match were Maddie Young, Colleen Murphy, Imogen Isaac, Riley Lenaway, John David Lopez and Declan Harrison.

World Team Tennis at the high school level consists of six sets, one each of men's and ladies' doubles, men's singles, ladies' singles, then finishing with two sets of mixed doubles. The teams can elect to play sets to the standard six games per set, or only to five, as is often done in double headers.

In the morning match against the University City Centurions, the Warriors won five of the six sets, cruising to a 26-18 win. (In WTT competition, the total games are tallied rather than sets to determine the winner.) The highlight of the match was Riley Lenaway’s 5-1 victory which featured excellent play by both players, but Lenaway’s outstanding shot-making brought cheers from even the bench of the opponents.

The afternoon match against the Valhalla Norseman produced a 36-15 victory, with the Warriors winning all six sets. Some of the best play of the day was in the ladies' doubles. Since WTT rules permit substitutions during the set, Maddie Young, Colleen Murphy and Imogen Isaac all contributed to the 6-3 win. Young’s steadiness at the baseline, Murphy’s domination at the net and Isaac’s accuracy and power all came together for the victory.

San Diego County was the first county in the nation to create an official World Team Tennis league at the high school level and the Warriors have a 26-4 record over their first three years. Coach Randy Hicks, in his fourth year of coaching high school WTT, said the wins brought the team’s season record to 6-2. He said, “Coaching during the regular high school season is always fun, but WTT is more relaxed for both the players and the coaches, so the goal is to have a lot of fun on the courts, and coming away with wins is a bonus.”