Mitchell closes out Votran, Cost Mesa, to give Estancia girls’ tennis sweep of rival
Game. Set. Match.
An individualistic team sport was contested in its purest form on Friday afternoon, as Estancia’s Annie Mitchell and Costa Mesa’s Alexis Votran understood they were playing for all the marbles.
Play was suspended in the girls’ tennis match Thursday after the players had shaken hands and left the court prior to their set’s conclusion. A score-keeping error had been made, as the match was left unfinished with the score at 6-5 in favor of Mitchell.
The players returned to the court at Costa Mesa High on Friday, fully aware of the fact that the winner of their singles match would decide the team battle.
Mitchell held serve, closing it out on a 40-30 point to win the set, 7-5. The Eagles (5-1 in the Orange Coast League) came away with a 10-8 victory, . giving them the series sweep against Costa Mesa after winning the first meeting, 9-9 (87-81 on games).
“I am very proud of the way Annie handled this situation and showed great sportsmanship,” Estancia athletic director Nate Goellrich said in an email Friday. “The players from both sides showed great sportsmanship overall these two days.”
“Even though we technically won yesterday by the rules of CIF and USTA, we felt the right thing to do was to let the two girls compete on the court. This was an unusual situation, and I want to thank Coach Kevin Springer on his leadership, not just today but this season.”
Costa Mesa is 3-6, 2-3 in league.
Twitter: @ProfessorTurner
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