Sportstars
Perfection achieved by Palos Verdes, which completes 27-0 season by defeating Los Altos to capture first girls tennis state crown
FRESNO – For more than 100 days, Palos Verdes High navigated through a challenging schedule of nonleague, tournament, league, section and regional matches by relying on the deepest doubles lineup in the country and a versatile singles roster to remain unbeaten. In less than 100 minutes Monday at the... Read more
Palos Verdes looks to cap exceptional fall season with girls tennis state title against Los Altos, add to historic haul for Sea Kings
It has already been a memorable fall season for the Palos Verdes High girls tennis team, as well as the school’s entire athletic department. The unbeaten Sea Kings will look to continue their momentum and contribute another historical achievement for the school when they pursue a team title in... Read more
Orange Lutheran freshman Sophie Suh secures Southern Section singles title, Cassie Blakey and Stella Simpson-Morgan of Palos Verdes rally to capture doubles crown
CLAREMONT – Sophie Suh began what has the potential to be an exceptional prep legacy, highlighted by the first of many CIF Southern Section girls tennis titles. Cassie Blakey and Stella Simpson-Morgan finally celebrated a championship moment Thursday that had been three years in the making for the close... Read more
Los Altos outlasts Menlo School for third time this season to win first Northern California regional girls tennis title
Menlo School had its season, and a bid for a return trip to the girls tennis state final, conclude Wednesday just how it began in August – with a heartbreaking setback to Central Coast Section rival Los Altos. The top-seeded Eagles relied on three singles victories, in addition to... Read more
Ace Your Game: Improving Tennis Serve
Athletes need to ace their tennis serve to set the tone of the match. There is more to the serve than just having control from the start and getting the ball in play; a killer serve can set you up for domination on the court. This is why tennis players need to improve... Read more
SportSquad VOTE: Team Of The Week | May 8-13
Newest SportSquad Team Of The Week Options Include Three Section Champions And A Softball Team Undefeated Vs. NorCal Opponents • We’re using this last month of the 2022-23 interscholastic sports calendar to try out a new weekly feature at SportStars. Welcome to our second vote for the SportSquad NorCal... Read more
USTA NorCal’s Cici Bellis is Back on the Court
2020 has been a fresh start for Northern California native CiCi Bellis. After a long recovery from multiple surgeries that kept her from tennis for more than a year, CiCi Bellis is back on the court and feeling good! And, she wasted no time getting back into the swing... Read more
USTA Q&A: Mackie McDonald Headed to 2020 Western/Southern Open
USTA NorCal recently sat down with Piedmont’s Mackie McDonald before he headed to New York for the 2020 Western & Southern Open (Cincinnati Open) and the US Open to discuss how he is preparing his game in these crazy times and what he is looking forward to most for... Read more
’19-’20 Bay Area 75 Rankings, Part 2 | Nos. 50-26
SportStars Magazine Counts Down The Bay Area’s Top 75 Athletes From 2019-20 In Its Eighth Annual Bay Area 75 Rankings • Welcome to our eighth annual Bay Area 75 rankings — SportStars’ countdown of the top 75 Bay Area athletes from the 2019-20 school year. Obviously, the 2019-20 season... Read more
Fall Sports’ Alternate Reality: An Imagined Sports Future
With Football Delayed Indefinitely And Other Sports Forced To Adapt To Virus Concerns, NorCal’s Fall Sports Season Was Like No Other   EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a purely fictionalized look into NorCal’s 2020 fall sports future in a state and region still heavily affected by COVID-19. We composed it without... Read more
Katie Volynets Joins Tennis Pros At The US Open
Talking on the phone with Katie Volynets, it was apparent the excitement of her victory hadn’t worn off yet a couple days after. Granted, she had a great reason to be happy. The Walnut Creek resident had just realized her lifelong dream: qualifying for the main draw of the... Read more
USTA Honor Juniors Honor Roll: July 2019
July is the month where the best in the U.S. battle on the Clay Courts all over Florida during the USTA Boys’ and Girls’ National Clay Court Championships. And it is no exception that Team NorCal is traveling across the country to compete for titles. So let’s dive right... Read more