Sports Shorts: Dana Hills Tennis Swings Into Season

Dana Hills’ girls tennis team, which finished runner-up in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs last season, opened its 2011 campaign with a 13-5 nonleague victory at Palos Verdes on Tuesday.

The Dolphins were led in singles by sophomore Margo Pletcher, who swept her sets, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2, and the doubles team of juniors Sabine Ludwig and Rebecca Gold, who swept their sets, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3.

Next week, the Dolphins, top-ranked in the county by the Orange County Register, play host to Palos Verdes Peninsula on Tuesday at Laguna Niguel Racquet Club at 2:30 p.m., then travel to San Marino on Wednesday for a 3 p.m. match. Both are nonleague matches.

Dana Hills 13, Palos Verdes 5

Singles: Jessica Perez def. Nicole Scotten 6-1, def. Daron Wong 6-2, Ashley Tayles (DH sub) lost to Hannah Rees 4-6; Margo Pletcher, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2; Cassidy Spearman lost to N. Scotten 5-2 (def. inj.), def. H. Rees 6-1,  Emma Mattson (DH sub) lost to D. Wong 0-6.

Doubles: Jacqueline Stewart-Jessica Wilcox (DH) lost to Andrea Gerber-Lauren Lee 3-6, def. Ali Mar-Lindsay Sunada 7-5, def. Melissa Kocarsian-Kelley Hawke 6-0; Sabine Ludwig-Rebecca Gold (DH) 6-2, 6-3, 6-3; Adri Zuabi-Shelby Butcher 0-6, Katie Olson-Gressa Sempre (DH sub) def. Mar-Sunada 7-6, Zuabi-Butcher def. Kocarisan-Hawke 6-4.

Laguna Hills Cross-Country Invitational

Patch couldn't get out to Laguna Hills High on Saturday for the area's first cross-country meet of the season, and didn't feel like typing in all of the results, so go ahead and click on this ESPN/Rise link to see them.

Locally, Dana Hills competed in Division 1 and won the girls junior race, paced by Aubrey Carr, who finished second in 19:08.77; finished second in the girls sophomore race, third in both the girls senior and boys freshman races, fourth in the girls freshman race and fifth in the boys sophomore race.

Aliso Niguel also competed in Division 1 and finished runner-up to Capistrano Valley in the senior girls race, which was won by Danica Wyson in 18:03.65, more than 17 seconds ahead of the next-closest runner. The Wolverines’ senior boys finished seventh and the juniors were fourth.

(Aside: I once asked a librarian friend of mine if people expected her to have all the answers. She said no, but added that she knew where to find them.)

What's next? The 31st annual Cross-Country Classic, co-hosted by Woodbridge, Estancia and Costa Mesa highs, begins Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. at Estancia High in Costa Mesa.

Dolphins Grad Heads Utah Volleyball Team

John Hullinger, a graduate of Dana Hills High, is beginning his first season as girls varsity volleyball coach at Union High in Roosevelt, Utah, after coaching the sport at Weiser High in Idaho.

Hullinger played tennis for the Dolphins and, at one time, was the fourth-seeded doubles player in the South Coast League. He also played tennis at BYU in 1986-87.

Married to Sonnet Hullinger, they have six children. His son, Hunter, plays basketball and football for Union, and two of his children are attending BYU.

Have some high school news or a score that you'd like to share? Send it to O.C. Patch sports editor Bob Rohwer at bob.rohwer@patch.com.