Palisades Tennis Nets Another League Title

Winning a league title might be considered a big deal for most programs. Not for the boys' tennis team, however.

The Dolphins achieve that goal practically every season, so defeating Westchester twice on Monday to complete a perfect 12-0 romp through the Western League would be nice, but merely the first step for a talent-rich squad seeking its third consecutive City Section championship.

"Technically, we've already clinched because we beat [second-place] Hamilton twice, so even if we were to lose both to Westchester, we own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Hamilton," Palisades Coach said. "So we're league champions no matter what. Obviously, though, we want to go undefeated."

The Dolphins have won 21 straight league titles under Kling, who took over the boys program in 1979. They led the Comets in every match of a league meeting suspended by rain two weeks ago, so that one will be concluded first Monday. As soon as one team notches the four points needed to win, the second match will start.

Palisades has been on a roll since going 2-2 at the National Team Championships in Newport Beach March 18-19, where they lost to Corona del Mar and Potomac, but rebounded to beat two state champions--Christ Church Episcopal of South Carolina and Regis jesuit of Colorado.

Palisades (14-4 overall, 10-0 in league) defeated Mira Costa 14-4 to win the fifth annual Bay Area Classic on March 21, then reeled off eight consecutive league victories, all by 7-0 scores. 

"We've got a solid lineup all the way through, we just have to solidify the third doubles spot," Kling said. "Each player has strengths and weaknesses, it's just a matter of finding the right combination."

The league seeding meeting is Tuesday and Palisades' , and will more than likely lock up the league's top three seeds for the City Individual singles tournament. 

The City seeding meeting is May 2. As defending champion, Palisades is expected to be seeded No. 1 in the City's upper division playoffs and earn a bye in the first round. Kling predicted that West Valley League winner Granada Hills will net the No. 2 seed.

"We're the favorites, but I'm not sure we'll dominate [the playoffs] quite like we did last year," Kling said. "Granada Hills has a strong No. 1 kid and they always have good doubles. We'll see what happens."