Bulldog girls win Valley League tennis championships
By Bill Tamburrino
The Ramona High School girls tennis team made school history by winning the 2012 Valley League Championship with a perfect 8-0 record, under the tutelage of Coach Doug Failla.
The team improved from last place in the Palomar League to first place in the Valley League in one year.
The Lady Bulldogs had a busy week last week and finished strong. They clinched at least a league tie by beating Oceanside High School at Riviera Oaks 18-0 on Monday, Oct. 15.
The girls from the Valley of the Sun clinched the title outright by beating Valley Center at home 18-0 on Tuesday, Oct. 16.
They finished the regular season by beating Orange Glen on the road 17-1 on Wednesday, Oct. 17. Coach Failla gave the team the day off on Thursday, but he had to go to the CIF seeding meeting. The Lady Bulldogs were 10-4 on the season.
Ramona got the fifth seed in Division II and will host University City at Riviera Oaks. If they win, the Bulldog girls will travel to Mt. Carmel High School and play the No. 4 seed on Wednesday. CIF matches are at 2:30 p.m.
Oceanside had to default the No. 3 singles and doubles sets. The RHS doubles teams were perfect on the day as all three teams served up bagels (pun intended). Rebecca Vaca and Lauren Dunker went 6-0 and 6-0 as did Taylor Jennings and Cassidy Owens. Brie Frandsen and Kacie Jordan also posted two 6-0 sets.
Dayna Lake led the singles action with two 6-0 sets. Amanda Massey posted scores of 6-2 and 6-1, and Jessie Mosser went 6-2 and 6-3.
The Lady Dawgs wanted to be outright champions and they played like it against Valley Center. Lake turned in three 6-0 sets to set the pace. Massey went 6-2 and 6-0 and 6-0. Mosser made it a singles sweep by going 6-3, 6-1 and finished with 6-0.
Jennings and Owens served three bagels with 6-0 sets. Vaca and Dunker went 6-2 and 6-1 and won a default. Frandsen and Jordan also won a default and went 6-3 and 6-1. As Frandsen and Jordan finished the match, the entire team gathered at courtside and dished out some playful banter at them.
Lake only played one set at Orange Glen and it was her usual 6-0 as she finished the week with six perfect 6-0 sets. Massey went 6-1, 6-0 and 6-0 and Mosser went 6-0, 6-0 and 6-0. Emily Hansen went 3-6 and then rallied to post a 6-4 set to earn a team point.
In the history of Ramona High School athletics, tennis has only won two championships. Failla has had a hand in both. In 1985 a younger Doug Failla was on the team that won the Avocado League title.
Coach Paul Drob was the first girls’ tennis coach and his teams did not win a match. When Drob became an administrator, Joe Bess took the job and in 1983, RHS enjoyed its first victory in tennis over Oceanside High School. The No. 1 singles player on that team was Laura Perez. Her daughter, Rebecca Vaca, is on the No. 1 singles team on the 2012 championship team. Three generations of their family were on hand for the last home match against Valley Center.