LJ b tennis: New facilities

By Ed Piper


Matt Previdi, La Jolla High boys tennis coach, says the new tennis pavilion, boys locker room, and coaches offices will be a help in drawing more premier tennis players to the Viking campus beginning next year.


Previdi, who has overseen the Vikings going to the CIF Finals multiple years in a row, cast an eye toward the structures that are rising right next to the tennis courts on campus. The new surface on the football field is said to be on schedule for availability to the football team in August. The other components of the rebuild--hopefully at the same time or soon thereafter.


"In Del Mar, there's Torrey Pines and maybe one other high school," the head coach said while his team battled Vista in the first round of the CIF Division 1 playoffs Tues., May 3. "In La Jolla, you have Bishop's, Country Day, La Jolla High, even Parker is drawing students from this area to play for their tennis team.


"With the enhanced facilities here, that will be one more way to attract some of the top tennis players to La Jolla High."


The Vikings, seeded fifth, vanquished Vista 15-3 in the first-round match.


The following day, Wednesday, La Jolla had to travel to fourth-seed La Costa Canyon and lost 11-7 to end its season.


"We had three doubles matches we should have won," said Previdi. "The guys were a little tight being at their place."


But he took a positive view of the season overall. "It's been great," he said. "A great team, a great group. We've learned a lot, we've improved."


Jack Hogan, the Vikings' number-one singles player, had a wrist injury that sidelined him for three weeks during the season. During his absence, La Jolla dropped a narrow decision to Scripps Ranch. So, Previdi's point was, La Jolla had lots of talent and plenty of go-power this season.