
Loara's Jennifer Cornea outlasted Valencia's Sarah Blair, 6-1, 5-7, 7-5, to take the Empire League singles championship Wednesday evening at the Anaheim Tennis Center.
Cornea was the top seed. She entered with a 30-0 record in league play and was named the Empire's MVP. With Wednesday's title, she is the first girls player in school history to do all three in the same season.
I watched this almost 3-hour long match and left amazed at what each competitor gave in this one.
Some quotes from those involved:
Cornea: "I'm speechless. Sarah is a really great player. This is one of my best matches that I've played."
Blair: "It was a good match. Jenn was playing smart. I started slow but I managed to find my rhythm. "
Loara coach Shelly Noble: "Winning it the way she did shows her perseverance. She was fighting until the end. That's what champions do."
Valencia coach Mike McCall: "It was a great high school tennis match. It's a shame someone had to lose it. Both should be proud of their performance and effort."
Valencia's Candace Wu and Natalie McKay won the doubles final, defeating Cypress' Karen Woo and Beatrice Nguy 6-0, 6-2.